3T  695  .8932  1883 
Swedenborg,  Emanuel,  1688- 
1772. 

Angelic  wisdom  concerning 

t  >i  Ci _ ri  -l  \r  i  r>  q _ r  /Ton  r*_o - 


Presented  to 

\ 


A 


BY  THE 


OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


6  Incorporated  A.  D.  1850,  for  the  Printing,  Publishing,  and  Circulating  5 
of  the  Theological  Works  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg, 
for  Charitable  and  Missionary  purposes. 


I 


mSmrnmi 


% 


A 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/angelicwisdomcon00swed_2 


fHE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


ANGELIC  WISDOM 


CONCERNING 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Translated  from  the  Latin  of 

EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 

Servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 


CSIGINALLY  PUBLISHED  AT  AMSTERDAM,  MDCCLXTV. 


FROM  THE  LAST  LONDON  EDITION. 


NEW  YORK: 

AMERICAN  SWEDENBORG  PRINTING  AND  PUP.LISIIING  SOCIETY. 


1883 


Published  by  Thb  American  Swedenborg  Printing  and  Publishing 
Society,  organized  for  the  purpose  of  Stereotyping,  Printing,  and 
Publishing  Uniform  Editions  of  the  Theological  Writings  of  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  and  incorporated  in  the  State  of  New  York  a.  d.  1850. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

In  this  new  Edition  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg’s  invaluable 
Treatise  on  the  Divine  Providence,  an  attempt  lias  been  made 
to  render  tbe  Translation  a  little  more  smooth,  without  making 
it  less  faithful  to  the  original,  or  even  less  literal ;  but  there  arc 
still  some  peculiarities  of  style,  which  it  has  been  thought 
advisable  to  retain,  rather  than  to  incur  the  risk  of  weakening 
in  any  degree  the  force  of  the  Author’s  sentiments. 

The  frequent  occurrence  of  adjectives  used  as  substantives 
(i internal ,  interior ,  Ac.,  for  instance)  may  be  objected  to  by 
many  persons  ;  but,  when  practicable,  this  mode  of  rendering 
the  Latin  neuter  adjectives  was  generally  thought  preferable  to 
that  of  adding  the  substantive  thing ,  or  principle,  Ac.,  because 
there  is  a  danger  of  such  words  conveying  an  idea  not  strictly 
in  agreement  with  the  Author’s  meaning. 

The  retention  of  the  Latin  word  where  no  corresponding 
one  could  be  found  in  English,  occurs  but  very  rarely ;  and  it 
may  be  fairly  presumed,  that  in  this  work  the  reader  will  be  as 
little  troubled  with  technicalities  of  language  as  In  the  gene- 
rality  of  works  on  abstract  philosophy. 


4 


- 


CONTENTS. 


No, 


That  the  Divine  Providence  is  the  government  of  the  divine  zove 

AND  THE  DIVINE  "WISDOM  OF  THE  LORD . . .  1 

L  That  the  universe,  with  all  and  every  thing  therein,  was  created 

from  the  divine  love  by  the  divine  wisdom .  8 

II  That  the  divine  love  and  the  divine  wisdom  proceed  from  the 

Lord  as  a  one . .  4 

III.  That  this  one,  in  a  certain  image,  is  in  every  created  thing .  5 

IV.  That  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence  that  every  created  thing, 
both  in  the  whole  and  in  part,  should  be  such  a  one,  and  if  it  is 

not,  that  it  should  be  made  so . . .  7 

V  That  the  good  of  love  is  not  good,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to 
the  truth  of  wisdom ;  and  that  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  not  truth, 

except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to  the  good  of  love  . . . . .  10 

VI.  That  the  good  of  love  not  united  to  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  not 
good  in  itself,  but  only  apparent  good ;  and  that  the  truth  of  wis¬ 


dom  not  united  to  the  good  of  love  is  not  truth  in  itself,  but  only 


apparent  truth  .  14 

YII.  That  the  Lord  does  not  suffer  any  thing  to  be  divided ;  therefore 
it  must  either  be  in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth,  or  it  must 

be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity . . .  16 

VIII.  That  that  which  is  in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth,  is 
something ;  and  that  that  which  is  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time 

in  falsity,  is  not  any  thing . . . .  19 

/  IX.  That  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  causes  evil  and  its  at- 
^  tendant  falsity  to  serve  for  equilibrium,  relation,  and  purification, 

and  thereby  for  the  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others .  21 

That  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  has  fob  its  end  a  heaven 
OUT  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE .  27 

L  That  heaven  is  conjunction  with  the  Lord .  28 

II.  That  a  man  by  creation  is  such  that  he  can  be  more  and  more 

nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord  .  32 

III.  That  a  man  becomes  wiser  in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly 

conjoined  to  the  Lord  .  34 

IV.  That  a  man  becomes  happier  in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly 

conjoined  to  the  Lord  . . .  37 

V.  That  a  man,  in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the 

Lord,  appears  to  himself  to  be  more  distinctly  at  his  own  dis¬ 
posal,  and  perceives  more  evidently  that  he  is  the  Lord’s .  42 


CONTENTS. 


•  •  • 

Vlll 

ST® 


That  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  in  all  that  it  does,  has 

RESPECT  TO  WHAT  IS  INFINITE  AND  ETERNAL .  44 

I.  That  what  is  infinite  in  itself,  and  eternal  in  itself,  is  the  same  as 

what  is  divine .  48 

II.  That  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  itself  cannot  but  have  respect 

to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself  in  finites .  51 

TTI.  That  the  Divine  Providence,  in  all  that  it  does,  has  respect  tc 
what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself,  especially  in  saving  the 

human  race .  55 

IV.  That  an  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  exists  in  the  angelic 

heaven .  60 


V.  That  to  respect  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  forming  the  angelic 
heaven,  that  it  may  be  before  the  Lord  as  one  man,  the  image 
of  himself,  is  the  inmost  end  or  purpose  of  the  Divine  Provi¬ 


dence  .  64 

That  there  are  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  which  are  unknown 

TO  MEN  . 70 

That  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence  that  a  man  should  act 

FROM  LIBERTY  ACCORDING  TO  REASON  .  7 1 

I.  That  a  man  has  reason  and  free-will,  or  rationality  and  liberty ; 

and  that  these  two  faculties  are  from  the  Lord  in  him  .  78 

II.  That  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty,  whether  it  be  of  reason 

or  not,  provided  it  be  according  to  his  reason,  appears  to  him  as 
his  own  act . 74 

III.  That  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty,  according  to  his  thought, 

is  appropriated  to  him  as  his  own,  and  remains .  78 

IV.  That  a  man  by  these  two  faculties  is  reformed  and  regenerated 
by  the  Lord  ;  and  that  without  them  he  could  not  be  reformed 

and  regenerated .  82 


V.  That  a  man,  by  means  of  those  two  faculties,  can  be  reformed  and 
regenerated  so  far  as  he  can  be  led  by  them  to  acknowledge,  that 
all  the  truth  and  good  which  he  thinks  and  does,  is  from  the 


Lord,  and  not  from  himself .  87 

VI.  That  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  and  the  reciprocal 

conjunction  of  a  man  with  the  Lord,  is  effected  by  these  two 
faculties .  92 

VII.  That  the  Lord  preserves  these  two  faculties  in  a  man  inviolable, 

and  as  sacred,  in  every  proceeding  of  his  Divine  Providence .  96 

VIII.  That,  therefore,  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man 

should  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason .  97 

rHAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DlVINE  PROVIDENCE,  THAT  A  MAN  AS  FROM  HIM¬ 
SELF  SHOULD  REMOVE  EVILS  AS  SINS  IN  THE  EXTERNAL  MAN,  AND  THAT 
THUS  AND  NO  OTHERWISE  THE  LORD  CAN  REMOVE  EVILS  IN  THE  INTERNAL 


MAN,  AND  -THEN  AT  THE  SAME  TIME  IN  THE  EXTERNAL  .  -00 

L  That  everv  man  lias  an  external  and  an  internal  of  thought .  101 


CONTENTS.  11 

No. 

IL  That  the  external  of  a  man’s  thought  is  in  itself  such  as  is  its 

internal .  100 

III.  That  the  internal  cannot  be  purified  from  the  concupiscences  of 

evil  so  long  as  evils  in  the  external  man  are  not  removed,  because 
they  obstruct  . Ill 

IV.  That  evils  in  the  external  man  cannot  be  removed  by  the  Lord 

but  by  means  of  the  man .  114 

V  That  therefore  a  man  ought  to  remove  evils  from  the  external  man 

as  from  himself .  118 

VI.  That  the  Lord  then  purifies  him  from  the  concupiscences  of  evil  in 

the  internal  man,  and  from  evils  themselves  in  the  external .  119 

VIL  That  it  is  the  continual  endeavor  of  the  Divine  Providence  of 
the  Lord  to  join  a  man  to  himself  and  himself  to  a  man,  that  he 
may  be  able  to  give  him  the  felicities  of  eternal  life  ;  which  can¬ 
not  be  done  except  in  proportion  as  evils  with  their  concupis¬ 
cences  are  removed .  128 

Vhat  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  should  not 

EE  FORCED  BY  EXTERNAL  MEANS  TO  THINK  AND  WILL,  AND  SO  TO  BE¬ 
LIEVE  AND  LOVE  THE  THINGS  WHICH  ARE  OF  RELIGION  ;  BUT  THAT  A  MAN 
SHOULD  LEAD,  AND  SOMETIMES  FORCE  HIMSELF  TO  IT . TSJ9 

I.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  miracles  and  signs,  because  they  force _  1  HO 

II.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  visions,  and  by  conversing  with  the  dead, 

because  thev  force .  1.14 

V 

III.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  threats  and  punishments,  because  they 

force . 1JJ6 

IV.  That  no  one  is  reformed  in  states  which  are  not  of  rationality  and 

liberty .  1,'!8 

V.  That  it  is  not  contrary  to  rationality  and  liberty  for  a  man  to  force 

himself . 145 

VI.  That  the  external  man  is  to  be  reformed  by  the  internal,  and  not 

contrariwise  .  150 

That  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  should  be 

LED  AND  TAUGHT  FROM  THE  LORD  OUT  OF  HEAVEN  BY  THE  WORD,  AND  BY 
DOCTRINE  AND  PREACHING  FROM  THE  WORD,  AND  THIS  IN  ALL  APPEAR¬ 
ANCE  AS  FROM  HIMSELF  .  154 

I.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone .  155 

IL  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone,  by  the  angelic 

heaven  and  from  it  .  162 

III.  That  a  man  is  led  of  the  Lord  by  influx,  and  taught  by  illumi¬ 
nation  .  165 

IV.  That  a  man  is  taught  of  the  Lord  by  the  Word,  and  by  doctrine 

and  preaching  from  the  Word,  and  thus  immediately  from  him 
alone  .  171 

V  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  in  externals  to  all  ap¬ 

pearance  as  of  himself.  .  174 


X 


CONTENTS, 


iro. 

That  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  should  not 

PERCEIVE  AND  FEEL  ANT  THING  OF  THE  OPERATION  OF  THE  DlVINE  PRO¬ 
VIDENCE,  BUT  YET  SHOULD  KNOW  AND  ACKNOWLEDGE  IT  .  17  5 

I.  That  if  a  man  perceived  and  felt  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence,  he  would  not  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  nor 
would  any  thing  appear  to  him  as  liis  own.  It  would  be  the  same 
if  he  foreknew  events  .  176 

IL  That  if  a  man  plainly  saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would  in¬ 
terfere  with  the  order  and  tenor  of  its  progress,  and  would  pervert 
and  destroy  it .  180 

III.  That  if  a  man  manifestly  saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would 

either  deny  God,  or  make  himself  a  god  .  182 

IY„  That  it  is  granted  a  man  to  see  the  Divine  Providence  on  the 
back  and  not  in  the  face,  also  in  a  spiritual  state,  and  not  in  a 
natural  state .  187 

That  self-derived  prudence  is  nothing,  and  only  appears  as  if  it 
was,  and  also  ought  so  to  appear  ;  but  that  the  Divine  Providence 
FROM  THINGS  THE  MOST  SINGULAR  IS  UNIVERSAL .  191 

I.  That  all  a  man’s  thoughts  are  from  the  affections  of  his  life’s  love, 

and  that  there  do  not,  and  cannot  exist,  any  thoughts  at  all  without 
those  affections .  193 

II.  That  the  affections  of  a  man’s  life’s  love  are  known  to  the  Lord  alone...  197 

III.  That  the  affections  of  a  man’s  life’s  love  are  led  of  the  Lord  by  his 

Divine  Providence,  and  at  the  same  time  his  thoughts,  from  which 
human  prudence  is  derived  .  200 

IV.  That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  connects  together  the 

affections  of  the  whole  human  race  into  one  form,  which  is  the 
human . 201 

V.  That  heaven  and  hell  are  in  such  a  form .  204 

VI.  That  those  who  have  acknowledged  nature  alone,  and  human 

prudence  alone,  constitute  hell,  and  those  who  have  acknowledged 
God  and  his  Divine  Providence,  constitute  heaven .  205 

VII.  That  all  these  things  cannot  be  effected,  unless  it  appears  to  a  man 

that  he  thinks  and  disposes  from  himself .  210 

That  the  Divine  Providence  has  respect  to  things  eternal,  and  not 

TO  THINGS  TEMPORARY,  EXCEPT  SO  FAR  AS  THEY  ACCORD  WITH  THINGS 

ETERNAL .  214 

I.  That  temporary  thing5*  rela+e  to  dignities  and  riches,  therefore  to 

honors  and  emoluments  in  this  world .  215 

II.  That  eternal  things  relate  to  spiritual  honors  and  riches,  which  are  of 

love  and  wisdom,  in  heaven .  216 

^III.  That  things  temporary  and  eternal  are  separated  by  man,  but  are 

joined  by  the  Lord .  218 

IV.  That  the  conjunction  of  things  temporary  and  eternal  in  a  man  is 

the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord .  220 


CONTENTS.  3d 

No. 

That  a  man  is  not  admitted  interiorly  into  the  truths  of  faiiu 

AND  THE  GOODS  OF  CHARITY,  EXCEPT  SO  FAR  AS  HE  CAN  BE  KEPT  IN 
THEM  TO  THE  END  OF  LIFE . . .  221 

I.  That  a  man  may  be  admitted  into  the  wisdom  of  spiritual  things,  and 

also  into  the  love  of  them,  and  yet  not  be  reformed .  222 

II.  That  if  a  man  afterwards  recedes  from  them,  and  runs  counter  to 

them,  he  profanes  what  is  holy  .  226 

III.  That  there  are  several  kinds  of  profanation  of  what  is  holy,  and 

that  this  kind  is  the  worst  of  all . . .  229 

IV.  That  therefore  the  Lord  does  not  admit  a  man  interiorly  into  the 

truths  of  wisdom,  and  at  the  same  time  into  the  goods  of  love, 
except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept  in  them  to  the  end  of  life .  232 

That  the  laws  of  permission  are  also  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  234 

I.  That  the  wisest  of  men,  Adam,  and  his  wife,  suffered  themselves  to  be 

seduced  by  a  serpent,  and  that  God  did  not  prevent  this  by  his 
Divine  Providence . 241 

II.  That  their  first-born  son,  Cain,  slew  his  brother  Abel,  and  God  did  not 

prevent  it  by  speaking  to  him,  but  only  cursed  him  after  the  act....  242 

III.  That  the  Israelitish  nation  worshiped  a  golden  calf  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness,  and  acknowledged  it  as  the  God  which  brought  them  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt ;  yet  J ehovah  saw  this  from  Mount  Sinai,  not  far 

off,  and  did  not  prevent  it .  243 

IV.  That  David  numbered  the  people,  and  a  pestilence  was  therefore 

sent  among  them,  by  which  many  thousands  of  men  perished,  and 
that  God  did  not  send  the  prophet  Gad  to  him  before  the  act,  but 
after  it,  to  denounce  punishment . . . . .  244 

V.  That  Solomon  was  permitted  to  establish  idolatrous  worship .  245 

VI.  That  many  kings  after  Solomon  were  permitted  to  profane  the 

temple  and  the  holy  things  of  the  church  .  246 

VII.  That  that  nation  was  permitted  to  crucify  the  Lord...v . .  247 

That  every  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  confirms  himself  against 
the  Divine  Providence , 

I.  When  he  sees  so  many  impious  persons  in  the  world,  and  so  many  of 

their  impieties,  in  which  at  the  same  time  some  glory,  and  on  account 
of  which  nevertheless  they  receive  no  punishment  from  God .  249 

II.  When  he  sees  the  impious  promoted  to  honors,  and  made  nobles  and 

primates  ;  that  they  moreover  abound  in  wealth,  and  live  elegantly 
and  magnificently,  while  the  worshipers  of  God  remain  in  contempt 

and  poverty  .  250 

£IL  When  he  considers  that  wars  are  permitted,  by  which  so  many  men 

are  slaughtered,  and  their  possessions  plundered .  251 

[V.  When  he  thinks,  according  to  his  perception,  that  victories  declare 
on  the  side  of  prudence,  and  not  always  on  the  side  of  justice,  and 
that  it  makes  no  difference  whether  the  general  be  a  good  or  a 
wicked  man . 251 


CONTENTS. 


•  • 

XU 

N© 

That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself  against  the  Divine  Prom 
dence, 

I.  When  he  considers  the  religions  of  various  nations,  and  that  there  are 
some  who  are  totally  ignorant  of  a  God,  some  who  adore  the  sun 

and  moon,  and  some  also  who  adore  idols  and  graven  images .  254 

TL  When  he  reflects  upon  the  Mahometan  religion,  and  considers  that  it 

is  received  by  so  many  empires  and  kingdoms  .  255 

III.  When  he  sees  that  the  Christian  religion  is  received  only  in  the 

smallest  quarter  of  the  habitable  globe,  called  Europe,  and  that 
there  it  is  divided . . .  250 

IV.  Because  in  many  kingdoms,  where  the  Christian  religion  is  received, 
there  are  some  who  claim  to  themselves  divine  power,  and  desire  to 

be  worshiped  as  gods,  and  because  they  invoke  dead  men .  267 

V.  Because,  among  those  who  profess  the  Christian  religion,  there  are 

some  who  place  salvation  in  certain  words  which  they  think  and 
speak,  and  not  in  any  good  they  do  .  258 

VI.  Because  there  have  been,  and  still  are,  so  many  heresies  in  the 

Christian  world,  such  as  those  of  the  Quakers,  Moravians,  Anabap¬ 
tists,  and  others . .  259 

VII.  Because  Judaism  still  continues .  200 

That  a  doubt  may  be  inferred  against  the  Divine  Providence , 

I.  Because  the  whole  Christian  world  worship  God  under  three  persons, 

which  is  three  Gods  ;  and  because  heretofore  they  have  not  known 
that  God  is  one  in  person  and  in  essence,  in  whom  there  is  a  trinity, 
and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord .  202 

II.  Because  heretofore  it  was  not  known,  that  in  every  particular  of 

the  Word  there  is  a  spiritual  sense,  and  that  therein  its  holiness 
consists  . . —  264 

III.  Because  heretofore  it  was  not  known  that  the  very  essence  of  the 

Christian  religion  consists  in  shunning  evils  as  sins .  265 

IV.  Because  it  was  not  known  heretofore  that  a  man  lives  as  a  man 

after  death,  and  this  was  not  discovered  till  now .  274 

I'hat  evils  are  permitted  for  a  certain  end,  which  is  salvation .  276 

I.  That  every  man  is  in  evil,  and  that  he  is  to  be  withdrawn  from  evil 

that  he  may  be  reformed .  277 

TL  That  evils  cannot  be  removed  except  they  appear  .  278 

III.  That  in  proportion  as  evils  are  removed,  they  are  remitted .  279 

IV.  That  thus  the  permission  of  evil  is  for  a  certain  end,  which  is 

salvation .  281 

That  the  Divine  Providence  is  equally  with  the  wicked  and  the 
good . 285 

I.  That  the  Divine  Providence,  not  only  with  the  good,  but  also  with 
the  wicked,  is  universal  in  things  the  most  particular,  and  yet  that 
it  is  not  in  their  evils  .  28* 


CONTENTS. 


•  •  • 
Xlll 

Na 

IL  That  the  wicked  continually  lead  themselves  into  evils,  but  that  the 

Lord  continually  withdraws  them  from  evils .  295 

[II.  That  the  Lord  cannot  entirely  lead  the  wicked  out  of  evils  and  into 
goods,  so  long  as  they  consider  self-derived  intelligence  to  be  all, 

and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing . . . .  297 

rV.  That  the  Lord  governs  hell  by  opposites,  and  the  wicked  who 
are  in  the  world  he  governs  in  hell  as  to  interiors,  but  not  as  to 
exteriors .  . . . . . .  m 

Thai  ,tie  Divine  Providence  appropriates  neither  evil  nor  good  to  any 

ONH,  BUT  THAT  SELF-DERIVED  PRUDENCE  APPROPRIATES  BOTH . . .  308 

L  What  self-derived  prudence  is,  and  what  that  prudence  which  is  not 

self-derived . . . . . . .  810 

IL  That  a  man  from  self-derived  prudence  persuades  himself,  and  con¬ 
firms  in  himself  the  idea,  that  every  good  and  truth  is  in  and  from 

himself,  and  in  like  manner  every  evil  and  falsity  . . . .  312 

III  That  every  thing,  of  which  a  man  is  persuaded,  and  in  which  he  is 

confirmed,  remains  as  his  proprium . . .  317 

IV.  That  if  a  man  would  believe,  as  is  the  truth,  that  every  thing  good 
and  true  is  from  the  Lord,  and  every  thing  evil  and  false  from  hell, 

He  would  neither  appropriate  to  himself  good,  and  make  it  merito 
nous,  nor  would  he  appropriate  to  himself  evil,  and  make  himself 
guilty  of  it . . . . . . .  320 

That  every  man  may  be  reformed,  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
PREDESTINATION .  822 

I.  That  the  end  of  creation  is  a  heaven  out  of  the  human  race .  323 

II.  That  thence  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  eveiy  man  is  capa¬ 

ble  of  being  saved,  and  that  those  are  saved  who  acknowledge  a 

God  and  lead  a  good  life . 325 

IIL  That  it  is  a  man’s  own  fault  if  he  is  not  saved . . .  327 

IV.  That  thus  all  are  predestined  to  heaven,  and  none  to  hell . .  329 

That  the  Lord  cannot  act  against  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  BECAUSE  TO  ACT  AGAINST  THEM  WOULD  BE  TO  ACT  AGAINST  HIS 
DIVINE  LOVE  AND  HIS  DIVINE  WISDOM,  CONSEQUENTLY  AGAINST  HIMSELF .  331 

L  That  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  in  saving  a  man  begins 
at  his  birth,  and  continues  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  afterwards  to 

eternity . 332 

IL  That  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  is  continually  effected 

by  means  which  are  out  of  pure  mercy  .  335 

IIL  That  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate  mercy  is  impos¬ 
sible .  888 

IV.  That  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate  mercy  is  the  fiery 
flying  serpent  in  the  church 


// 


840 


ANGELIC  WISDOM 

CONCERNING 

THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  IS  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE 

DIVINE  LOVE  AND  THE  DIVINE  WISDOM  OF  THE  LORD, 

1.  In  order  that  it  may  be  understood  what  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence  is,  and  that  it  may  be  seen  to  be  the  government  of  the 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  of  the  Lord,  it  will  be 
useful  that  the  propositions  which  have  been  advanced  and  illus¬ 
trated  respecting  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  in 
the  treatise  on  that  subject,  should  be  known.  They  are  as 
follows  :  That  in  the  Lord  the  Divine  Love  is  of  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  is  of  the  Divine  Love,  n.  34 
—39.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  cannot 
but  be  and  exist  in  other  things  created  from  Itself,  n.  47 — 51. 
That  all  things  in  the  universe  were  created  from  the  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  52,  53,  151 — 456.  That  all 
things  in  the  universe  are  recipients  of  the  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  n.  54 — 60.  That  the  Lord  appears  before  the 
angels  as  a  sun,  and  that  the  heat  thence  proceeding  is  love, 
and  the  light  thence  proceeding  is  wisdom,  n.  83 — 88,  89 — 92, 
93 — 98,  296—301.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  which  proceed  from  the  Lord,  form  a  one,  n.  99 — - 
102.  That  the  Lord  from  eternity,  who  is  Jehovah,  created 
the  universe  and  all  things  therein  from  Himself,  and  not  from 
nothing,  n.  282 — 284,  290 — 295.  These  propositions  are  illus¬ 
trated  in  the  treatise,  entitled  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning 
the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom. 

2.  From  these  propositions,  compared  with  the  views  given 
in  the  same  work  respecting  creation,  it  may  indeed  appear, 
that  what  is  called  the  Divine  Providence  is  the  government  of 
the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  of  the  Lord :  but  as 
creation  was  there  treated  of,  and  not  the  preservation  of  the 
state  of  things  after  creation,  which  last  is  the  government  of 

1 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


2,  3 

the  Lord,  therefore  we  shall  now  treat  on  this  subject;  con¬ 
sidering,  in  this  first  article,  the  preservation  of  the  union  of 
the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  or  the  Divine  Good 
and  the  Divine  Truth,  in  the  things  which  are  created  ;  uf 
which  we  shall  speak  in  this  order :  I.  That  the  universe,  with 
all  and  every  thing  therein,  was  created  from  the  Divine  Love 
by  the  Divine  Wisdom.  II.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom  proceed  from  the  Lord  as  a  one.  III.  That 
this  one,  in  a  certain  image,  is  in  every  created  thing.  IY. 
That  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  every  created  thing, 
both  in  the  whole  and  in  part,  should  be  such  a  one  ;  and  if  it 
is  not,  that  it  should  be  made  so.  Y.  That  the  good  of  love  is 
not  good,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to  the  truth  of  wisdom  ; 
and  that  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  not  truth,  except  so  far  as  it  is 
united  to  the  good  of  love.  YI.  That  the  good  of  love  not 
united  to  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  not  good  in  itself,  but  only 
apparent  good  ;  and  that  the  truth  of  wisdom  not  united  to  the 
good  of  love  is  not  truth  in  itself,  but  only  apparent  truth. 
YII.  That  the  Lord  does  not  suffer  any  thing  to  be  divided ; 
therefore  it  must  either  be  in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in 
truth,  or  it  must  be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity. 
"V  III.  That  that  which  is  in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth, 
is  something;  and  that  that  which  is  in  evil  and  at  the  same 
time  in  falsity,  is  not  any  thing.  IX.  That  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence  of  the  Lord  causes  evil  and  its  attendant  falsity  to  serve 
fcr  equilibrium,  relation,  and  purification,  and  thereby  for  the 
conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others. 

3.  I.  That  the  universe ,  with  all  and  every  thing  therein , 
was  created  from  the  Divine  Love  by  the  Divine  Wisdom.  That 
the  Lord  from  eternity,  who  is  Jehovah,  is,  as  to  his  essence, 
Divine  Love  and  Divine  Wisdom  ;  and  that  from  Himself  he 
created  the  universe  and  all  things  therein ;  was  shown  in  the 
treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wis¬ 
dom  :  whence  it  follows,  that  the  universe,  with  all  and  every 
thing  therein,  was  created  from  the  Divine  Love  by  the  Divine 
Wisdom.  In  the  same  treatise  it  was  also  shown,  that  love 
without  wisdom  cannot  do  any  thing,  nor  wisdom  without  love  : 
for  love  without  wisdom,  or  the  will  without  the  understanding, 
cannot  think  of  any  thing,  nor  can  it  see,  be  sensible  of,  or 
speak  of  any  thing  ;  therefore  neither  can  it  do  any  thing.  In 
like  manner,  wisdom  without  love,  or  the  understanding  without 
the  will,  cannot  think  of  any  thing,  neither  can  it  see,  or  be 
sensible  of,  or  speak  of  any  thing ;  nor,  therefore,  can  it  do 
any  thing :  for  if  love  be  taken  away,  there  is  no  longer  any 
volition,  and  consequently  no  action.  And  as  this  is  the  case 
with  man  when  he  does  any  thing,  much  more  was  it  the  case 
with  God,  who  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  when  he  created 
and  made  the  universe  and  all  things  therein.  That  the  universe, 
2 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE.  3,  4 

witli  all  and  every  thing  appertaining  to  it,  was  created  from 
the  Divine  Love  by  the  Divine  Wisdom,  is  a  proposition  which 
may  be  confirmed  from  all  things  which  are  the  objects  of  sight 
in  the  world  :  take  for  this  purpose  any  object  in  particular,  and. 
if  you  examine  it  with  some  degree  of  wisdom,  you  will  be  con¬ 
firmed.  Take  a  tree,  or  its  seed,  its  fruit,  its  flower,  or  its 
leaf,  and,  collecting  all  your  wisdom,  view  it  with  a  good  mi¬ 
croscope,  and  you  will  see  in  it  wonderful  things  ;  whilst  the 
interiors,  which  you  do  not  see,  are  still  more  wonderful.  Ob¬ 
serve  the  order  in  which  the  parts  succeed  each  other  during  the 
growth  of  a  tree  from  the  seed  till  it  produces  new  seed ;  and 
consider  whether  there  be  not  in  every  successive  stage  a  con¬ 
tinual  endeavor  to  propagate  itself  further ;  for  the  ultimate  to 
which  it  tends  is  seed,  in  which  its  prolific  principle  exists  anew. 
If  then  you  reflect  upon  it  spiritually,  (and  this  you  can  do  if 
you  choose,)  will  you  not  see  wisdom  displayed  ?  This  you  will 
do  especially  if  you  so  far  think  spiritually  as  to  perceive  that 
the  prolific  principle  is  not  from  the  seed,  nor  from  the  sun  of 
this  world,  which  is  pure  fire,  but  that  it  is  in  the  seed  from 
God  the  Creator,  who  possesses  infinite  wisdom;  and  that  it  is 
m  it  not  only  when  created,  but  also  continually  afterwards  ; 
since,  as  support  is  perpetual  creation,  subsistence  is  perpetual 
existence :  for,  as  the  work  ceases  if  you  take  away  will  from 
action,  or  as  speech  ceases  if  you  deprive  it  of  thought,  or  as 
motion  ceases  when  the  producing  effort  is  withdrawn ;  so  in 
like  manner,  if  you  take  away  the  cause  from  the  effect,  the 
effect  perishes,  and  so  on.  Every  created  substance  indeed  is 
endued  with  power ;  but  power  does  not  operate  from  itself,  but 
from  him  who  bestowed  it.  Examine  also  any  other  subject  on 
earth,  as  a  silk-worm,  a  bee,  or  any  other  insect ;  view  it  first 
naturally,  afterwards  rationally,  and  lastly  spiritually :  then  if 
you  can  think  elevatedly,  you  will  be  astonished  at  everything  ; 
and  if  you  permit  wisdom  to  speak  in  you,  you  will  say  in 
astonishment,  AVho  does  not  see  a  divine  principle  in  these 
things  ? — they  are  all  effects  of  the  Divine  Wisdom.  This  will 
be  the  case  still  more,  if  you  regard  the  uses  of  all  things  which 
are  created,  perceiving  how  they  proceed  in  regular  order  even 
unto  man.  and  from  man  to  the  Creator  from  whom  they  are  ; 
and  that  upon  the  conjunction  of  the  Creator  with  man  the 
connection  of  all  things  depends,  and,  if  you  will  acknowledge 
it,  the  preservation  of  all  things.  That  the  Divine  Love  created 
all  things,  but  nothing  without  the  Divine  Wisdom,  will  be  seen 
in  what  follows. 

4.  II.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  proceed 
from  the  Lord  as  a  one.  This  also  is  evident  from  what  was 
shown  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  especially  from  the  following  articles  therein: 
That  Esse  and  Existere  [to  be  and  to  exist]  in  the  Lord  are 
3  b 


4 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


distinctly  one,  n.  14 — 17.  That  in  the  Lord  infinite  things  are 
distinctly  one,  n.  17 — 22.  That  the  Divine  Love  is  of  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  of  the  Divine  Love,  n.  34 — 
39.  That  love  without  a  marriage  with  wisdom  cannot  do  any 
thing,  n.  401 — 103.  That  love  does  nothing  but  in  conjunction 
with  wisdom,  n.  409,  410.  That  spiritual  heat  and  spiritual 
light,  in  proceeding  from  the  Lord  as  a  sun,  form  a  one,  as  the 
divine  love  and  the  divine  wisdom  in  the  Lord  are  a  one,  n.  99 
— 132.  Although  from  what  is  shown  in  treating  of  these 
articles,  the  truth  of  this  proposition  is  evident,  yet,  as  it  is 
not  known  how  two  things  distinct  from  each  other  can  act  as  a 
one,  I  will  here  show  that  a  one  does  not  exist  without  a  form, 
but  that  the  form  itself  makes  a  one  ;  and  next,  that  the  form 
makes  a  one,  so  much  the  more  perfectly  in  proportion  as  the 
things  which  enter  into  it  are  distinct  from  each  other,  and 
nevertheless  united.  That  a  one  does  not  exist  without  a  form, 
hut  that  the  form  itself  makes  a  one .  Every  one  who  thinks 
intently  on  the  subject  may  see  clearly,  that  a  one  without  a 
form  does  not  exist,  and  if  it  does  exist  that  it  is  a  form  :  for 
whatsoever  exists  derives  from  its  form  that  which  is  understood 
by  quality,  predicate,  change  of  state,  relation,  and  the  like ; 
wherefore  that  which  is  not  in  a  form  has  no  quality,  and  that 
which  has  no  quality  has  not  any  thing ;  the  form  itself  giving 
all  these.  And  forasmuch  as  all  things  which  are  in  a  form,  if 
the  form  is  perfect,  have  mutually  respect  to  each  other,  as  one 
link  in  a  chain  has  to  another ;  therefore  it  follows,  that  the 
form  itself  makes  them  a  one,  and,  consequently,  a  subject,  of 
which  may  be  predicated  quality,  state,  affection,  and  therefore 
something,  according  to  the  perfection  of  the  form.  Such  a 
one  is  every  thing  which  is  an  object  of  sight  in  the  world,  and 
such  a  one  also  is  every  thing  which  is  not  an  object  of  sight, 
whether  it  be  in  interior  nature  or  in  the  spiritual  world  ;  such 
a  one  is  man,  and  such  a  one  is  a  human  society  ;  such  a  one  is 
the  church,  also  the  universal  angelic  heaven  before  the  Lord  ; 
in  a  word,  such  a  one  is  the  created  universe,  not  only  in 
general,  but  in  every  particular.  Now,  in  order  that  all  and 
every  thing  may  be  forms,  it  is  necessary  that  he  who  created 
all  things  should  be  form  itself,  and  that  from  form  itself  all 
things  which  are  created  should  exist  in  forms  :  this,  therefore, 
is  what  is  shown  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  under  the  following  heads :  viz. 
That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  are  a  substance 
and  a  form,  n.  40 — 43.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom  are  substance  and  form  in  themselves,  consequently, 
the  self-subsisting  and  the  one  only  subsisting  essence  or  prin¬ 
ciple,  n.  44 — 46.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom 
in  the  Lord  are  a  one,  n.  14 — 17,  n.  18 — 22.  And  that  they 
proceed  as  a  one  from  the  Lord,  n.  99 — 102,  and  in  other  places. 
4 


THE  DIYINE  PROVIDENCE.  4,  5 

That  the  form  makes  a  one  so  much  the  more  perfectly  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  the  things  which  enter  into  it  are  distinct  from  each  other , 
and  nevertheless  united.  This  is  comprehended  with  difficulty 
unless  the  understanding  be  elevated,  because  there  is  an  ap¬ 
pearance  that  form  cannot  make  a  one  except  when  there  is  a 
similarity  in  the  things  which  constitute  it.  On  this  subject  I 
have  frequently  conversed  with  the  angels  ;  who  said  that  this 
is  an  arcanum,  which  the  wise  among  them  perceive  clearly, 
but  the  less  wise  obscurely :  that  nevertheless  it  is  a  truth,  that 
a  form  is  so  much  the  more  perfect  in  proportion  as  the  things 
which  constitute  it  are  distinct  from  each  other,  but  still  united 
in  a  particular  manner.  They  confirmed  this  by  reference  to 
the  societies  in  the  heavens,  which,  taken  together,  constitute 
the  form  of  heaven  ;  and  to  the  angels  of  each  society,  of  which 
it  may  be  affirmed,  that  the  more  every  individual  has  a  distinct 
identity  of  character,  in  which  he  freely  acts,  and  thus  loves 
his  associates  from  himself  or  from  his  own  affection,  the  more 
perfect  is  the  form  of  the  society.  They  also  illustrated  it  by 
the  marriage  of  goodness  and  truth,  which,  the  more  distinctly 
they  are  two,  can  more  perfectly  form  a  one  ;  and,  in  like 
manner,  by  love  and  wisdom  ;  showing  that  what  is  indistinct 
is  confused,  whence  results  all  imperfection  of  form.  But  how 
things  perfectly  distinct  are  united,  and  thus  make  a  one,  they 
confirmed  by  many  instances  ;  especially  by  the  nature  or  con¬ 
stitution  of  man,  in  which  innumerable  things  are  quite  dis¬ 
tinct,  and  yet  united, — distinct  by  their  coats,  but  united  by 
ligaments.  They  also  stated,  that  it  is  the  same  with  love  and 
all  things  appertaining  to  it,  and  with  wisdom  and  all  things 
appertaining  to  it,  which  are  not  perceived  otherwise  than  as  a 
one.  More  on  this  subject  may  be  seen  in  the  treatise  concern¬ 
ing  Tiie  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  14 — 22, 
and  in  the  work  concerning  Heaven  and  Hedl,  n.  56  and  4S9. 
This  is  adduced  because  it  is  an  arcanum  of  angelic  wisdom. 

5.  III.  That  this  one ,  in  a  certain  image ,  is  in  every  created 
thing.  That  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  which 
in  the  Lord  are  a  one,  and  which  proceed  as  a  one  from  him* 
are  in  a  certain  image  in  every  created  thing,  may  appear  from 
what  is  proved  throughout  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  but  especially  in  n.  47 — 51, 
54—60,  282—284,  290—295,  316—318,  319—326,  349—357 ; 
in  which  places  it  is  shown,  that  the  divine  principle  is  in  every 
created  thing,  because  God  the  Creator,  who  is  the  Lord  from 
eternity,  from  himself  produced  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world, 
and  by  that  sun  all  things  in  the  universe  ;  consequently,  that 
that  sun,  which  is  from  the  Lord,  and  in  which  is  the  Lord,  is 
not  only  the  first,  but  the  one  only  substance,  from  which  all 
things  are ;  and  forasmuch  as  it  is  the  one  only  substance,  it 
follows  that  it  is  in  every  created  thing,  but  with  infinite  variety 
5 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


5,  6 

according  to  different  uses.  How,  as  in  the  Lord  there  ia 
Divine  Love  and  Divine  Wisdom,  and  in  the  sun  from  him 
divine  fire  and  divine  effulgence,  and  from  the  sun  spiritual 
heat  and  spiritual  light,  and  these  two  farm  a  one,  it  follows, 
that  this  one  is  in  a  certain  image  in  every  created  thing:. 
Hence  it  is,  that  all  things  in  the  universe  have  relation  to  good 
and  truth,  and,  indeed,  to  the  conjunction  of  them  ;  or,  what 
is  the  same,  that  all  things  in  the  universe  have  relation  to  love 
and  wisdom,  and  to  their  conjunction  ;  for  good  is  of  love,  and 
truth  is  of  wisdom,  inasmuch  as  love  calls  all  which  appertains 
to  it  good,  and  wisdom  calls  all  which  appertains  to  it  truth. 
That  there  is  a  conjunction  of  these  in  every  created  thing,  will 
be  seen  in  what  follows. 

6.  It  is  acknowledged  by  many,  that  there  is  one  only 
substance,  which  is  also  the  first,  from  which  _  all  things  are ; 
but  what  that  substance  is,  it  is  not  known.  It  is  thought  to  be 
so  simple  that  nothing  can  be  simpler,  and  that  it  may  be  com¬ 
pared  to  a  point  which  has  no  dimensions,  and  that  from  an 
infinite  number  of  such  points,  the  forms  of  dimension  exist. 
This,  however,  is  a  fallacy  originating  from  the  idea  of  space  : 
for  from  this  idea  there  appears  to  be  such  a  smallest  particle  ; 
when,  nevertheless,  it  is  a  truth,  that  in  proportion  as  a  thing 
is  more  simple  and  more  pure,  it  is  more  full  and  complete. 
It  is  on  this  account,  that  the  more  interiorly  any  object  is 
inspected,  the  more  wonderful,  perfect,  and  beautiful  are  tie 
things  seen  in  it ;  and  consequently,  that  in  the  first  substance 
are  the  most  wonderful,  perfect,  and  beautiful  things  of  all. 
The  reason  of  this  is,  that  the  first  substance  is  from  the  spi¬ 
ritual  sun,  which,  as  before  stated,  is  from  the  Lord,  and  in 
which  is  the  Lord  ;  therefore,  that  verv  sun  is  the  one  onlv  sub- 
stance,  which,  forasmuch  as  it  is  not  in  space,  is  all  in  all,  and 
in  the  greatest  and  least  things  in  the  created  universe.  As 
that  sun  is  the  first  and  one  only  substance,  from  which  all 
things  are,  it  follows  that  there  are  in  it  infinitely  more  things 
than  can  appear  in  the  substances  thence  derived,  which  are 
called  substantiate,  and  lastly  material.  The  reason  why  the 
former  cannot  appear  in  the  latter,  is,  because  they  descend 
from  that  sun  by  degrees  of  two  kinds,  according  to  which  all 
perfections  decrease.  Hence  it  is  that,  as  was  said  above,  the 
more  interiorly  any  object  is  viewed,  the  more  wonderful,  per¬ 
fect,  and  beautiful  are  the  things  seen  in  it.  These  observations 
are  made  in  order  to  confirm  the  truth,  that  in  a  certain  image 
the  Divine  is  in  every  created  thing,  but  that  it  appears  less 
and  less  in  descending  by  degrees,  and  still  less  when,  the  infe¬ 
rior  degree  being  separated  from  the  superior  degree  by  the 
closing  of  the  latter,  it  is  choked  up  with  earthy  matter.  Such 
truths,  however,  cannot  but  seem  obscure,  unless  what  is  said 
in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom, 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


6—8 


concerning  the  spiritual  sun,  n.  53—172  ;  concerning  degrees, 
n.  173 — 281  ;  and  concerning  the  creation  of  the  universe,  rw 
2S2 — 357,  has  been  first  read  and  understood. 

7.  IV.  That  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence ,  that  every 
created  thing ,  both  in  the  whole  and  in  part,  should  be  such  a  one , 
and  if  it  is  not ,  that  it  should  be  made  so /  that  is,  that  in  every 
created  thing  there  should  be  something  from  the  Divine  Love, 
and  at  the  same  time  from  the  Divine  Wisdom  ;  or,  what  is  the 
same,  that  in  every  created  thing  there  should  be  good  and 
truth,  or  a  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  :  for  as  good  is  of 
love,  and  truth  is  of  wisdom,  as  was  said  above,  n.  5,  so  in 
what  follows,  instead  of  love  and  wisdom,  the  words  good  and 
truth  will  be  used,  and  instead  of  the  union  of  love  and  wisdom, 
the  marriage  of  good  and  truth. 

8.  From  the  preceding  article  it  is  evident  that  the  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  which  in  the  Lord  are  one,  and 
from  the  Lord  proceed  as  one,  exist  in  a  certain  image  in  every 
thing  created  by  him ;  and  it  may  now  be  expedient  to  speak 
particularly  of  that  oneness  or  union,  which  is  called  the  mar¬ 
riage  of  good  and  truth.  That  marriage  is,  I.  in  the  Lord 
himself;  for,  as  before  said,  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom  in  him  are  one.  II.  It  is  from  the  Lord,  for  in  every 
thing  which  proceeds  from  him  love  and  wisdom  are  perfectly 
united  ;  and  these  two  proceed  from  the  Lord  as  a  sun, — the 
Divine  Love  as  heat,  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  as  light.  III. 
They  are  received  by  the  angels  indeed  as  two,  but  are  united 
in  them  by  the  Lord  :  and  it  is  the  same  with  the  men  of  the 
church.  IV.  It  is  from  the  influx  of  love  and  wisdom  from  the 
Lord  as  one  into  the  angels  of  heaven  and  men  of  the  church, 
and  from  the  reception  thereof  by  angels  and  men,  that  the 
Lord  in  the  Word  is  called  the  Bridegroom  and  the  Husband, 
and  heaven  and  the  church  the  bride  and  the  wife.  V.  As  far 
therefore  as  heaven  and  the  church  in  general,  and  an  angel  of 
heaven  and  a  man  of  the  church  in  particular,  are  in  that 
union,  or  in  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth,  so  far  are  they  an 
image  and  likeness  of  the  Lord  ;  because  these  two  in  the  Lord 
are  one,  and  indeed  they  are  the  Lord.  VI.  Love  and  wisdom 
in  heaven  and  in  the  church  in  general,  and  in  an  angel  of  hea¬ 
ven  and  in  a  man  of  the  church,  are  one,  when  the  will  and 
the  understanding,  and  when  therefore  good  and  truth,  make 
one  ;  or,  what  is  the  same,  when  charity  and  faith  make  one ; 
or,  what  is  still  the  same,  when  doctrine  from  the  Word  and  a 
life  according  to  it  make  one.  VII.  But  in  what  manner  these 
two  make  one  in  man,  and  in  all  things  appertaining  to  him,  is 
shown  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  Part  V.,  where  the  creation  of  man,  and 
particularly  the  correspondence  of  the  will  and  the  understanding 
with  the  heart  and  the  lungs,  are  treated  of,  from  n.  385  to  132 

7 


9—11 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


9.  But  how  these  make  one  in  the  things  which  are  below 
or  without  man,  as  well  in  the  things  of  the  animal  kingdom 
as  in  those  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  will  be  shown  in  many 
places  in  what  follows  ;  previous  to  which  these  three  things  are 
to  he  premised :  First ,  That  in  the  universe,  and  in  all  and 
every  thing  therein,  which  was  created  by  the  Lord,  there  was 
a  marriage  of  good  and  truth.  Secondly ,  That  this  marriage 
after  the  creation  was  separated  in  man.  Thirdly ,  That  it  is  of 
the  Divine  Providence  that  what  is  separated  should  be  made 
one,  and  thus,  that  the  marriage  of  good  arid  truth  should  be 
restored.  These  three  particulars  are  abundantly  confirmed  in 
the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom, 
and  therefore  need  no  further  confirmation.  Every  one  also 
may  see  from  reason,  that  since  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth 
existed  by  creation  in  every  created  thing,  and  since  this  was 
afterwards  separated,  the  Lord  must  operate  continually,  that 
it  may  be  restored ;  consequently,  that  its  restoration,  and  the 
conjunction  thereby  of  the  created  universe  with  the  Lord 
through  man,  is  of  the  Divine  Providence. 

10.  Y.  That  the  good  of  love  is  not  good ,  except  so  far  as 
it  is  united  to  the  truth  of  wisdom,  and  that  the  truth  of  wisdom 
is  not  truth ,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to  the  good  of  love. 
Good  and  truth  derive  this  from  their  origin.  Good  in  its  origin 
is  in  the  Lord,  and  so  is  truth  ;  because  the  Lord  is  good  itself 
and  truth  itself,  and  these  two  in  him  are  one.  Hence  it  is, 
that  good  in  the  angels  of  heaven  and  in  men  on  the  earth  is 
not  good  in  itself,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to  truth,  and  that 
truth  is  not  truth  in  itself,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united  to  good. 
That  all  good  and  all  truth  is  from  the  Lord,  is  well  known ; 
hence,  as  good  makes  one  with  truth,  and  truth  with  good,  it 
follows  that,  in  order  to  good  being  good  in  itself,  and  truth 
being  truth  in  itself,  they  must  make  one  in  the  recipient, 
which  is  an  angel  of  heaven  and  a  man  on  the  earth. 

11.  It  is  known  indeed  that  all  things  in  the  universe  have 
relation  to  good  and  truth  ;  because  by  good  is  understood  that 
which  universally  comprehends  and  involves  all  things  of  love, 
and  by  truth  is  understood  that  which  universally  comprehends 
and  involves  all  things  of  wisdom  :  but  it  is  not  yet  known  that 
good  is  not  any  thing  unless  united  to  truth,  and  that  truth  is 
not  any  thing  unless  united  to  good.  It  appears  indeed  as  if 
good  were  something  without  truth,  and  as  if  truth  were  some¬ 
thing  without  good  ;  but  still  they  are  not :  for  love,  all  things 
appertaining  to  which  are  called  good  things,  is  the  esse  of  a 
thing,  and  wisdom,  all  things  appertaining  to  which  are  called 
truths,  is  the  existere  of  a  thing  from  that  esse,  as  is  shown  in 
the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom, 
li.  II — 16;  wherefore,  as  an  esse  without  existere  is  not  any 
thing,  nor  existere  without  an  esse,  so  good  without  truth  is  not 

"8 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE.  11,  12 

« 

any  thing,  nor  truth  without  good.  Li  like  manner,  what  is 
good  without  relation  to  something? — can  it  be  called  good? 
for  it  is  of  no  affection  and  of  no  perception.  This,  together 
with  the  good  which  affects,  and  which  causes  itself  to  be  per¬ 
ceived  and  felt,  has  relation  to  truth,  because  it  has  relation  to 
that  which  is  in  the  understanding.  Say  barely  to  any  one, 
good,  and  not  this  or  that  is  good,  and  is  good  any  thing?  But 
by  virtue  of  this  or  that  which  is  perceived  as  a  one  with  good, 
it  is  something.  This  is  not  united  to  good  anywhere  but  in 
the  understanding,  and  every  thing  of  the  understanding  has 
relation  to  truth.  It  is  the  same  with  volition  ;  to  will  without 
knowing,  perceiving,  and  thinking  what  a  man  wills,  is  nothing, 
but  together  with  these  it  becomes  something.  All  volition  is 
of  love,  and  has  relation  to  good  ;  and  all  knowledge,  percep¬ 
tion,  and  thought  are  of  the  understanding,  and  have  relation 
to  truth.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  merely  to  will  is  nothing, 
but  to  will  this  or  that,  is  something.  It  is  the  same  with  all 
use,  because  use  is  good.  Use,  unless  it  be  determined  to 
something  with  which  it  may  be  a  one,  is  not  use  ;  therefore  it 
is  not  any  thing.  Use  derives  its  being  something  from  the 
understanding,  and  that  which  is  thence  conjoined  or  adjoined 
to  use  has  relation  to  truth  :  from  this  use  derives  its  quality. 
From  these  few  hints  it  may  appear  that  good  without  truth  is 
not  any  thing;  therefore,  that  neither  is  truth  without  gocd 
any  thing.  It  is  said  that  good  with  truth,  and  truth  with  good, 
are  something ;  hence  it  follows,  that  evil  with  false,  and  false 
with  evil,  are  not  any  thing  :  for  the  latter  are  opposite  to  the 
former,  and  opposition  destroys  ;  in  the  present  case,  it  de¬ 
stroys  that  which  is  something.  But  more  of  this  in  what 
follows. 

12.  But  there  exists  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth  in  the 
cause,  and  there  exists  a  marriage  of  good  and'  truth  from  the 
cause  in  the  effect.  The  marriage  of  good  and  truth  in  the 
cause,  is  the  marriage  of  the  will  and  the  understanding,  or  of 
love  and  wisdom  :  in  all  that  a  man  wills  and  thinks,  and  which 
he  thence  concludes  and  intends,  there  is  this  marriage.  This 
marriage  enters  the  effect  and  produces  it ;  but  in  carrying  into 
effect,  these  two  appear  distinct :  because  then  what  is  simulta¬ 
neous  constitutes  what  is  successive  ;  as  when  a  man  wills  and 
thinks  to  be  nourished,  to  be  clothed,  to  have  a  dwelling,  to  do 
any  business  or  work,  or  to  converse,  he  first  wills  and  thinks 
at  the  same  time,  or  concludes  upon  and  intends,  and  when  he 
has  determined  them  to  effect,  then  one  thing  succeeds  after 
another  ;  but  still  they  continually  make  one  in  the  will  and  in 
the  thought.  The  uses  in  these  effects  belong  to  love  or  good, 
and  the  means  for  obtaining  the  uses  belong  to  the  understand¬ 
ing  or  truth.  These  general  views  any  one  may  confirm  by 
particulars,  if  he  but  distinctly  perceive  what  has  relation  to 
9 


12—14 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


the  good  of  love  and  what  to  the  truth  of  wisdom,  and  also  dis¬ 
tinctly  perceive  how  it  is  referable  to  the  cause  and  how  to  the 
effect. 

13.  It  has  occasionally  been  said,  that  love  makes  the  life 
man ;  but  love  separate  from  wisdom,  or  good  separate  from 
truth  in  the  cause,  is  not  meant ;  because  love  separate,  or  good 
separate,  is  not  any  thing  :  wherefore  the  love  which  makes  the 
inmost  life  of  man,  which  is  from  the  Lord,  is  love  and  wisdom 
together.  Heither  also  is  the  love,  which  makes  the  life  of  man 
so  far  as  he  is  a  recipient,  separated  in  the  cause,  but  in  the 
effect :  for  love  cannot  be  understood  without  its  quality,  and 
its  quality  is  wisdom.  Quality  or  wisdom  cannot  exist  except 
from  its  esse,  which  is  love ;  hence  it  is  that  they  are  one  :  and 
it  is  the  same’  with  good  and  truth.  How  since  truth  is  from 
good,  as  wisdom  is  from  love,  therefore  both  taken  together  are 
called  love  or  good  ;  for  love  in  its  form  is  wisdom,  and  good  in 
its  form  is  truth  :  from  its  form  and  from  no  other  source  is  all 
its  quality.  Hereby  then  it  may  appear  that'  good  is  not  in  the 
ieast  good,  any  further  than  as  it  is  united  to  its  truth,  and 
that  truth  is  not  in  the  least  truth,  any  further  than  as  it  is 
united  to  its  good. 

14.  YI.  That  the  good  of  love  not  united  to  the  truth  of 
wisdom  is  not  good  in  itself ,  hut  only  apparent  good  /  and  that  the 
truth  of  wisdom  not  united  to  the  good  of  love  is  not  truth  in  itself , 
hut  only  apparent  truth.  The  truth  is,  that  there  does  not  exist 
any  good  which  is  good  in  itself,  unless  it  be  united  to  its  truth, 
nor  any  truth  which  is  true  in  itself  unless  it  be  united  to  its 
good  ;  nevertheless,  there  does  exist  good  separate  from  truth, 
and  truth  separate  from  good  :  this  is  in  hypocrites  and  flatter¬ 
ers,  in  all  the  wicked  whatsoever,  and  in  those  who  are  in  na¬ 
tural  good  and  not  in  spiritual  good.  These  can  do  good  to  the 
church,  to  their  country,  to  society,  to  their  fellow-citizens,  to 
the  needy,  the  poor,  and  to  widows  and  orphans  ;  and  they  can 
also  understand  truths,  from  the  understanding  think  them, 
and  from  thought  speak  and  teach  them.  But  still,  not  being 
from  interior  principles  of  good  and  truth,  neither  these  good 
deeds  nor  truths  are  really  such  in  the  persons  just  mentioned, 
but  are  only  such  outwardly,  and  therefore  merely  in  appear¬ 
ance  ;  because  they  are  only  for  the  sake  of  self  and  the  world, 
and  not  for  the  sake  of  good  itself  and  truth  itself,  conse¬ 
quently  not  grounded  in  good  and  truth.  Hence  they  are  only 
of  the  mouth  and  of  the  body,  and  not  of  the  heart ;  and  may 
be  compared  to  gold  and  silver  enclosing  dross,  or  rotten  wrood 
or  dung ;  and  truths  thus  uttered  may  be  compared  to  respired 
air  wliich  is  dispersed,  or  to  an  ignis-fatuus  which  vanishes. 
Still  they  outwardly  appear  as  genuine ;  and  though  they  are 
only  apparent  with  those  w7ho  speak  them,  they  may  seem  other¬ 
wise  to  those  wTlo  hear  and  receive  them,  and  to  wliom  this  is 

10 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


14— -10 


unknown ;  for  what  is  external  affects  every  one  according  to 
his  internal,  because  truth  enters,  from  whatever  mouth  it  be 
uttered,  into  the  hearing  of  another,  and  is  received  by  the 
mind  according  to  its  state  and  quality.  With  those  who  are 
hereditarily  in  natural  good,  and  in  no  spiritual  good,  the  case 
is  nearly  similar ;  for  the  internal  of  all  good  and  of  all  truth 
is  spiritual,  and  this  shakes  off  falsities  and  evils  ;  but  the 
natural  principle  alone  favors  them,  and  to  favor  evils  and  fal¬ 
sities  and  to  do  good  do  not  accord. 

15.  The  ground  and  reason  why  good  can  be  separated  from 
truth,  and  truth  from  good,  and  when  separated  still  appear  as 
good  and  truth,  is,  because  man  has  a  faculty  of  acting,  which 
is  called  liberty,  and  a  faculty  of  understanding,  which  is  called 
rationality ;  from  the  abuse  of  which  faculties  man  can  appear 
different  in  externals  from  what  he  is  in  internals  ;  therefore  a 
wicked  man  can  do  good  and  speak  truth,  or  the  devil  can  imi¬ 
tate  an  angel  of  light.  But  on  this  subject  see  the  following 
propositions  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Di¬ 
vine  Wisdom.  That  the  origin  of  evil  is  from  the  abuse  of 
the  faculties  which  are  proper  to  man,  and  are  called  rationality 
and  liberty,  n.  264 — 270.  That  these  two  faculties  exist  as  well 
in  the  wicked  as  in  the  good,  n.  425.  That  love  without  a  mar¬ 
riage  with  wfisdom,  or  good  without  a  marriage  with  truth, 
cannot  do  any  thing,  n.  401.  That  love  does  nothing  but  in 
conjunction  with  wisdom  or  the  understanding,  n.  409.  That 
love  joins  itself  co  wfisdom  or  the  understanding,  and  causes 
wisdom  or  the  understanding  to  be  reciprocally  joined  to  it, 
n  410,  411,  412.  That  wisdom  or  the  understanding,  by  means 
of  the  power  given  it  by  love,  can  be  elevated,  and  perceive 
the  things  which  are  of  the  light  from  heaven,  and  receive  them, 
n  413.  That  love  can  in  like  manner  be  elevated,  and  receive 
the  tilings  which  are  of  the  heat  from  heaven, 'if  it  loves  its 
consort  wisdom  in  that  degree,  n.  414,  415.  That  otherwise 
love  draws  down  wisdom  or  the  understanding  from  its  elevation, 
that  it  may  act  as  one  with  it,  n.  416 — 418.  That  love  is  puri¬ 
fied  in  the  understanding,  if  they  are  elevated  together,  n.  419 
— 421.  That  love  purified  by  wisdom  in  the  understanding  be¬ 
comes  spiritual  and  celestial  ;  but  that  love  defiled  in  the  under¬ 
standing  becomes  sensual  and  corporeal,  n.  422 — 424.  That  it 
is  the  same  with  charity  and  faith  and  their  conjunction,  as  it 
is  with  love  and  wisdom  and  their  conjunction,  n.  427 — 430. 
What  charity  is  in  heaven,  n.  431. 

16.  TII.  That  the  Lord  does  not  suffer  any  thing  to  be 
divided,  /  therefore  it  must  either  be  in  good  and  at  the  same  time 
in  truth ,  or  it  must  be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity.  The 
divine  providence  of  the  Lord  has  especially  for  its  end,  and 
operates,  that  man  may  be  in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in 
truth,  since  thereby  he  is  his  own  good  and  his  own  love,  and 


16,  IT 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


also  his  own  truth  and  his  own  wisdom ;  for  by  this  man  is  man, 
being  in  such  case  an  image  of  the  Lord.  But  because  man, 
while  lie  lives  in  the  world,  can  be  in  good  and  at  the  same  time 
in  falsity,  likewise  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth,  yea, 
can  be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  good,  and  thus  as  it 
were  a  double  man ;  and  since  this  division  destroys  that  image, 
and  consequently  the  man ;  therefore  the  divine  providence  of 
the  Lord,  in  all  and  singular  its  operations,  is  directed  against 
the  existence  of  such  division.  Because,  also,  it  is  less  hurtful 
to  man  to  be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity,  than  to  be 
in  good  and  at  the  same  time  in  evil,  therefore  the  Lord  per¬ 
mits  the  former,  not  as  willing  it,  but  as  not  able  to  resist  it 
consistently  with  the  end  in  view,  vThich  is  salvation.  The 
reason  why  man  can  be  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth, 
and  why  the  Lord  cannot  resist  it,  on  account  of  the  end,  which 
is  salvation,  is,  because  the  understanding  of  man  can  be  ele¬ 
vated  into  the  light  of  wisdom,  and  see  truths,  or  acknowledge 
them  when  he  hears  them,  his  love  at  the  same  time  remaining 
below.  Thus  he  can  be  with  his  understanding  in  heaven,  but 
with  his  love  in  hell ;  and  to  be  so,  cannot  be  denied  him,  be¬ 
cause  the  two  faculties  of  rationality  and  liberty,  by  which  he 
is  man,  and  is  distinguished  from  beasts,  and  by  which  alone 
he  can  be  regenerated,  and  consequently  saved,  cannot  be  taken 
away  from  him.  For  by  them  man  can  act  according  to  wdsdom, 
and  also  according  to  the  love  not  of  wisdom,  and  from  the 
wisdom  above  can  see  the  love  beneath  ;  thus  he  can  see  his 
own  thoughts,  intentions,  affections,  and  therefore  the  evils 
and  falsities,  as  well  as  the  goods  and  truths  of  his  life  and 
doctrine,  without  a  knowledge  and  acknowledgment  of  which 
in  himself  he  cannot  be  reformed.  Of  these  two  faculties 
something  has  already  been  said,  and  more  wall  be  said  in  what 
follows.  This  is  the  reason  why  man  can  be  in  good  and  at  the 
same  time  in  truth,  also  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity, 
and  likewise  in  both  alternately. 

IT.  Man  can  with  difficulty  in  this  world  come  into  either 
the  one  or  the  other  conjunction  or  union,  that  is,  of  good  and 
truth,  or  of  evil  and  falsity  ;  for  so  long  as  he  lives  here,  he  is 
kept  in  a  state  of  reformation  or  regeneration.  But  after  death 
every  man  comes  into  the  one  or  the  other,  because  he  is  then 
no  longer  in  a  state  to  be  reformed  and  regenerated  :  he  then 
remains  such  as  his  life  has  been  in  the  world,  that  is,  such  as 
his  ruling  love  has  been.  Therefore,  if  his  life  has  been  a  life 
of  the  love  of  evil,  every  truth  which  he  has  acquired  in  this 
world  from  masters,  preaching,  or  the  Word,  is  taken  away 
from  him ;  and,  being  taken  away,  he  imbibes  the  falsity 
which  accords  with  his  evil  as  a  sponge  does  water.  On  the 
other  liar  d,  if  his  life  has  been  a  life  of  love  and  good,  every 
falsity  which  he  has  imbibed  by  hearing  or  by  reading  in  the 

i2 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


17—19 


world,  and  which  he  has  not  confirmed  in  himself,  is  removed, 
and  in  its  place  is  given  truth  which  accords  with  his  good.  This 
is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord,  u  Take  the  talent  from 
him,  and  give  it  unto  him  which  hath  ten  talents  ;  for  unto  every 
one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance  ;  but 
from  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he 
hath”  (Matt.  xxv.  28,  29 ;  xiii.  12  ;  Mark  iv.  25 ;  Luke  viii.  18 ; 
xix.  21 — 26). 

18.  The  reason  why  every  one  after  death  must  either  be  in 
good  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth,  or  in  evil  and  at  the  same 
time  in -falsity,  is,  because  good  and  evil  cannot  be  joined, 
neither  good  and  at  the  same  time  the  falsity  of  evil,  nor  evil 
and  at  the  same  time  the  truth  of  good,  for  they  are  opposites, 
and  opposites  combat  each  other,  until  one  destroys  the  other 
They  who  are  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  good,  are  under¬ 
stood  by  these  words  of  the  Lord  to  the  church  of  Laodicea  in 
the  Apocalypse :  u  I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither 
cold  nor  hot ;  I  would  thouwert  either  cold  or  hot ;  but  because 
thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spew  thee 
out  of  my  mouth”  (iii.  15,  16).  Also  by  these  words  of  the 
Lord  :  “  JSTo  man  can  serve  two  masters ;  for  either  he  will  hate 
the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one  and 
despise  the  other”  (Matt.  vi.  24). 

19.  MILL  That  that  whim  is  in  good  and  at  the  same  tw\e 
in  truth ,  is  something  •  and  that  that  which  is  in  evil  and  at  the 
same  time  in  falsity ,  is  not  any  thing.  That  that  which  is  in 
good  and  at  the  same  time  in  truth,  is  something,  may  be  seen 
above,  n.  11 ;  thence  it  follows,  that  what  is  evil  and  at  the 
same  time  false  is  not  any  thing.  By  not  being  any  thing,  is 
meant  that  it  has  no  power,  and  nothing  of  spiritual  life.  They 
who  are  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity,  all  of  whom  are 
in  hell,  have  indeed  power  among  themselves  ;  for  a  wicked 
spirit  can  do  evil,  and  also  does  do  evil  a  thousand  ways. 
Xevertheless  he  can  only  from  a  principle  of  evil  do  evil  to 
the  wicked,  but  cannot  in  the  least  do  evil  to  the  good  ;  or  if 
he  does  evil  to  the  good,  which  sometimes  is  the  case,  it  is  by 
conjunction  with  their  evil ;  thence  come  temptations,  which 
are  infestations  arising  from  evil  spirits  about  a  man,  and 
consequent  combats,  whereby  the  good  may  be  delivered  from 
their  evils.  As  the  wicked  have  no  power,  the  universal  hell 
before  the  Lord  is  not  only  as  nothing,  but  it  is  really  nothing 
as  to  power  :  that  it  is  so,  I  have  seen  confirmed  by  much 
experience.  It  is  wonderful,  however,  that  all  the  wicked  think 
themselves  powerful,  and  all  the  good  think  themselves  not 
powerful.  The  reason  of  which  is,  that  the  wicked  attribute 
every  thing  to  self-derived  prudence, — therefore  to  cunning  and 
malice,  and  nothing  to  the  Lord  :  while  the  good  attribute 

13 


19—22 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


nothing  to  self-derived  prudence,  but  every  thing  to  the  Lord, 
who  is  omnipotent.  Another  reason  why  evil  and  its  attendant 
falsity  are  not  any  thing,  is,  because  they  have  no  spiritual  life  ; 
and  this  is  the  reason  why  the  life  of  the  infernals  is  not  called 
life,  but  death  :  wherefore  since  every  something  appertains  to 
life,  there  cannot  be  any  thing  appertaining  to  death. 

20.  They  who  are  in  evil  and  at  the  same  time  in  truths, 
may  be  compared  to  eagles  which  soar  aloft,  but,  when  their 
wings  are  taken  away,  fall  down.  For  men  do  the  same  after 
death,  when  they  become  spirits.  They  who  understood  truths, 
spake  them,  and  taught  them,  and  yet  had  no  regard  to  God  in 
their  life,  elevate  themselves  on  high  by  their  intellectual  powers, 
and  sometimes  enter  heaven,  and  feign  themselves  angels  of 
light ;  but  when  truths  are  taken  away  from  them,  and  they 
are  sent  forth,  they  fall  down  into  hell.  Eagles  also  signify 
men  of  rapine,  who  have  intellectual  sight,  and  wings  signify 
spiritual  truths.  It  was  said,  that  they  are  such  who  had  no 
respect  to  God  in  their  life  :  by  having  respect  to  God  in  their 
life,  is  meant  nothing  else  but  to  think  this  or  that  evil  a  sin 
against  God,  and  therefore  not  to  do  it. 

21.  IX.  That  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  causes  evil 
and  its  attendant  falsity  to  serve  for  equilibrium ,  relation ,  and 
'purification ,  and  thereby  for  the  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in 
others.  From  the  foregoing  considerations  it  may  appear,  that 
the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  continually  operates,  that  in 
man  truth  may  be  united  to  good  and  good  to  truth,  because 
this  union  is  the  church  and  is  heaven ;  for  this  union  is  in  the 
Lord,  and  is  in  every  thing  that  proceeds  from  the  Lord.  From 
this  union  it  is,  that  heaven  is  called  a  marriage,  and  also  the 
church,  and  hence  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  word  is  likened 
to  a  marriage.  From  this  union  it  is,  that  the  sabbath  in  the 
Israel itisli  church  was  the  most  holy  worship,  for  it  signified 
this  union.  Hence  also  it  is,  that  in  the  Word,  and  in  all  and 
every  thing  therein,  there  is  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth  ;  on 
which  subject  see  Tim  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem 
concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  80 — 90.  The  mar¬ 
riage  of  good  and  truth  is  from  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  with 
the  church,  and  the  latter  from  the  marriage  of  love  and  wisdom 
in  the  Lord  :  for  good  is  of  love,  and  truth  is  of  wisdom.  Hence 
it  may  be  seen,  that  it  is  the  perpetual  object  of  the  Divine 
Providence  to  unite  in  man  good  to  truth  and  truth  to  good  ; 
for  so  man  is  united  to  the  Lord. 

22.  But  as  many  have  broken  and  do  break  this  marriage, 
especially  by  the  separation  of  faith  from  charity, — for  faith  is 
of  truth,  and  truth  is  of  faith,  and  charity  is  of  good,  and  good 
is  of  charity, — and  thereby  conjoin  in  themselves  evil  and  fal¬ 
sity,  and  thus  have  become,  and  do  become,  opposite,  it  is  pro* 

14 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


22 — 25 


vided  of  the  Lord  that  these  nevertheless  may  serve  for  the  con¬ 
junction  of  good  and  truth  in  others,  by  equilibrium,  by  relation, 
and  by  purification. 

23.  The  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others  is  provided 
for  of  the  Lord  by  equilibrium  between  heaven  and  hell ;  for 
from  hell  continuallv  exhale  evil  and  its  concomitant  false, 
but  from  heaven  continually  exhale  good  and  its  concomitant 
truth;  and  every  man  is  kept  in  this  equilibrium  as  long  as  he 
lives  in  the  world,  and  is  thus  in  the  liberty  of  thinking,  will¬ 
ing,  speaking,  and  acting,  in  which  he  may  be  reformed.  Con¬ 
cerning  this  spiritual  equilibrium,  from  which  is  derived  the 
liberty  of  man,  see  the  work  on  Heaven  and  ILell,  n.  5S9— 
596,  and  n.  597 — 603. 

2d.  The  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  is  provided  for  ot 
the  Lord  by  relation  /  for  good  is  not  known  as  to  its  quality, 
but  by  relation  to  what  is  less  good,  and  by  opposition  to  evil. 
All  the  perceptive  and  sensitive  principles  are  thence  derived, 
because  their  quality  is  thence  ;  for  thus  all  delight  is  perceived 
and  felt  from  what  is  less  delightful,  and  by  what  is  disagree- 
able ;  all  beauty  from  what  is  less  beautiful,  and  by  what  is 
ugly ;  in  like  manner,  all  good  which  is  of  love  from  what  is 
less  good,  and  by  evil ;  and  all  truth  which  is  of  wisdom  from 
what  is  less  true,  and  by  what  is  false.  There  must  be  variety 
in  every  thing,  from  its  greatest  to  its  least ;  and  when  there  is 
variety  also  in  its  opposite,  from  its  least  to  its  greatest,  and 
equilibrium  intercedes,  then  according  to  the  degrees  on  both 
sides  relation  is  established,  and  the  perception  or  sensation  of 
the  thing  either  increases  or  is  diminished.  But  it  is  to  be  noted, 
that  what  is  opposite  may  take  away,  and  also  may  exalt  per¬ 
ceptions  and  sensations  ;  it  takes  them  away  when  it  mixes  it¬ 
self,  and  exalts  them  when  it  does  not  mix  itself :  on  which 
account  the  Lord  exquisitely  separates  good  and  evil,  lest 
they  should  be  mixed,  in  man,  as  he  separates  heaven  and 
hell. 

25.  The  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others  is  provided 
for  of  the  Lord  by  purification,  which  is  effected  in  two  ways, — 
in  one  by  temptations,  and  in  the  other  by  fermentations. 
Spiritual  temptations  are  no  other  than  combats  against  evils 
and  falsities,  which  are  exhaled  from  hell  and  affect ;  by  them 
man  is  purified  from  evils  and  falsities,  and  in  him  good  is 
joined  to  truth,  and  truth  to  good.  Spiritual  fermentations  are 
effected  many  ways,  as  well  in  the  heavens  as  in  the  earths  ; 
but  in  the  world  it  is  not  known  wdiat  they  are,  and  how  they 
are  effected  :  for  they  are  evils  and  corresponding  falsities,  which, 
being  let  in  upon  societies,  act  like  ferments  put  into  meal  and 
fermentable  liquors,  by  which  heterogeneous  things  are  sepa¬ 
rated,  and  homogeneous  things  are  conjoined  and  become  pure 
and  clear.  This  is  what  is  understood  by  these  words  of  the 
15 


25—27 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


Lord,  “  Tlie  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a 
woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole 
was  leavened”  (Matt.  xiii.  33 ;  Luke  xiii.  21). 

26.  These  uses  are  provided  by  the  Lord  from  the  conjunc¬ 
tion  of  evil  and  falsity,  which  is  in  those  who  are  in  hell ;  for 
the  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  which  is  not  only  over  heaven,  but 
also  over  hell,  is  a  kingdom  of  uses ;  and  the  Providence  of  the 
Lord  is,  that  there  should  not  be  an;  or  any  thing,  from 

and  by  which  use  is  not  performed. 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  OF  THE  LORD  HAS  FOR  ITS 
END  A  HEAVEN  OUT  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE. 

27.  That  heaven  is  not  from  any  angels  created  such  from 
the  beginning,  and  that  hell  is  not  from  any  devil  who  was 
created  an  angel  of  light  and  cast  out  of  heaven,  but  that  hea¬ 
ven  and  hell  are  from  the  human  race, — heaven  from  those  who 
are  in  the  love  of  good  and  thence  in  the  understanding  of 
truth,  and  hell  from  those  who  are  in  the  love  of  evil  and  thence 
in  the  understanding  of  falsity, — has  been  made  known  and 
proved  to  me  by  a  long  intercourse  with  angels  and  spirits  ; 
concerning  which  see  also  what  is  shown  in  the  work  on  Hea¬ 
ven  and  Hell,  n.  311 — 316 ;  as  well  as  in  the  tract  on  The 
Last  Judgment,  n.  14 — 27 ;  and  in  the  Continuation  con¬ 
cerning  the  Last  Judgment  and  the  Spiritual  World, 
from  beginning  to  end.  How,  since  heaven  is  from  the  human 
race,  and  heaven  is  a  dwelling  with  the  Lord  to  eternity,  it 
follows  that  that  was  the  end  of  creation  intended  by  the  Lord ; 
and  as  it  was  the  end  of  creation,  it  is  the  end  of  his  divine 
providence.  The  Lord  did  not  create  the  universe  for  his  own 
sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  those  with  whom  he  will  dwell  in  hea¬ 
ven  ;  for  spiritual  love  is  such,  that  it  wishes  to  give  what  it  has 
to  another,  and  in  proportion  as  it  can  do  this,  it  is  in  its  esse , 
in  its  peace,  and  in  its  blessedness.  This  property  spiritual  love 
derives  from  the  divine  V  ve  of  the  Lord,  which  possesses  it  in 
an  infinite  degree.  it  follows,  that  the  divine  love,  and 

consequently  the  divine  providence,  has  for  its  end  a  heaven, 
which  may  consist  of  men  made  angels,  and  who'  are  making 
such,  to  whom  the  Lord  can  give  all  the  beatitudes  and  felicities 
which  belong  to  love  and  wisdom,  and  give  them  out  of  himself 
in  them.  Hor  can  he  do  otherwise;  because  his  image  and 
likeness  from  creation  is  in  them.  His  image  in  them  is  wis¬ 
dom,  and  his  likeness  in  them  is  love  ;  and  the  Lord  in  them  is 
love  united  to  wisdom  and  wisdom  united  to  love,  or  what  is  the 
16 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


27,  28 


same,  he  is  good  united  to  truth,  and  truth  united  to  good ; 
which  union  was  treated  of  in  the  preceding  article.  But  as  it 
is  not  known  what  heaven  is  in  general  or  in  many,  and  what 
heaven  is  in  particular  or  in  one  ;  or  what  heaven  is  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  what  heaven  is  in  the  natural  world,  and 
vet  it  is  important  to  know  this,  because  it  is  the  end  of  the 
jDL  due  Providence,  therefore  I  am  desirous  to  place  this  subject 
in  some  degree  of  light,  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  heaven 

o  o  /  >  # 

is  conjunction  with  the  Lord.  II.  That  a  man  by  creation  is 
such,  that  he  can  be  more  and  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the 
Lord.  III.  That  a  man  becomes  vbser  in  proportion  as  he  is 
more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  IY.  That  a  man  becomes 
happier  in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the 
Lord.  Y.  That  a  man,  in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly  con¬ 
joined  to  the  Lord,  appears  to  himself  more  distinctly  to  be  at 
his  own  disposal,  and  yet  perceives  more  evidently  that  he  is 
the  Lord’s. 

28.  I.  That  heaven  is  conjunction  with  the  Lord.  Heaven 
is  not  heaven  from  the  angels,  but  from  the  Lord ;  for  the  love 
and  wisdom,  in  wdiich  the  angels  are,  and  which  constitute 
heaven,  are  not  from  them,  but  from  the  Lord,  and  are  really 
the  Lord  in  them.  And  since  love  and  wisdom,  which  are  of 
the  Lord,  and  are  the  Lord  in  heaven,  constitute  the  life  of  the 
angels,  it  is  evident  that  their  life  is  of  the  Lord,  and  indeed 
that  it  is  the  Lord.  That  they  live  from  the  Lord,  the  angels 
themselves  confess.  Hence  it  may  appear  that  heaven  is  con¬ 
junction  with  the  Lord.  But  as  the  conjunction  with  the 
Lord  is  various,  and  consequently  one  has  not  the  same  heaven 
as  another,  it  also  follows,  that  heaven  is  according  to  conjunc¬ 
tion  with  the  Lord.  That  there  is  a  conjunction  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  also  one  more  and  more  remote,  will  be  seen  in  the 
following  article.  At  present  we  shall  state  how  that  conjunc¬ 
tion  is  effected,  and  what  it  is.  There  is  a  conjunction  of  the 
Lord  with  the  angels,  and  of  the  angels  with  the  Lord,  and 
thus  a  reciprocal  conjunction.  The  Lord  flows  into  the  life’s 
love  of  the  angels,  and  the  angels  receive  the  Lord  in  wisdom, 
and  by  this  in  their  turn  conjoin  themselves  to  the  Lord.  But 
it  is  to  be  well  observed,  that  it  appears  to  the  angels  as  if  they 
conjoined  themselves  to  the  Lord  by  wisdom,  when  nevertheless 
the  Lord  conjoins  them  by  wisdom  to  himself;  for  their  wisdom 
is  also  from  the  Lord.  It  is  the  same  if  it  is  said,  that  the 
Lord  conjoins  himself  to  the  angels  by  good,  and  that  the 
angels  in  their  turn  conjoin  themselves  to  the  Lord  by  truth  ; 
for  all  good  is  of  love,  and  all  truth  is  of  wisdom.  But  as  this 
reciprocal  conjunction  is  an  arcanum,  which  few  can  understand 
unless  it  be  explained,  I  will  unfold  it,  so  far  as  it  can  be  done, 
by  such  things  as  may  be  comprehended.  In  the  treatise  con¬ 
cerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  404, 
17 


28.  29 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


405,  it  is  shown  in  what  manner  love  conjoins  itself  to  wisdom, 
viz.,  by  the  affection  of  knowing,  whence  is  derived  the  affec¬ 
tion  of  truth  :  by  the  affection  of  understanding,  from  which 
is  derived  the  perception  of  truth  ;  and  by  the  affection  of 
seeing  that  which  is  known  and  understood,  from  which  is  de¬ 
rived  thought.  The  Lord  flows  into  all  these  affections,  which 
are  derivations  from  the  life’s  love  of  every  one ;  and  the  angels 
receive  that  influx  in  the  perce ption  of  truth,  and  in  thought ; 
for  in  these  the  influx  appears  to  them,  but  not  in  the  affections. 
Now  as  perceptions  and  thoughts  appear  to  the  angels  as  if  they 
were  their  own,  although  they  are  from  affections,  which  are 
from  the  Lord,  therefore  there  is  still  an  appearance  that  the 
angels  reciprocally  conjoin  themselves  to  the  Lord,  when  never¬ 
theless  the  Lord  conjoins  them  to  himself ;  for  affection  itself 
produces  such  perceptions  and  thoughts,  affection,  which  is  of 
love,  being  the  soul  of  them  ;  for  no  one  can  perceive  and  think 
any  thing  without  affection,  and  every  one  perceives  and  thinks 
according  to  affection  ;  from  which  it  is  evident,  that  the  reci¬ 
procal  conjunction  of  the  angels  with  the  Lord  is  not  from  them, 
but  only  seems  to  be  from  them.  Such  a  conjunction  also  the 
Lord  has  with  the  church,  and  the  church  with  the  Lord,  and 
it  is  called  the  celestial  and  spiritual  marriage. 

29.  All  conjunction  in  the  spiritual  world  is  effected  by 
inspection.  When  any  one  there  thinks  of  another  from  the 
affection  of  speaking  with  him,  the  other  immediately  becomes 
present,  and  one  sees  the  other  face  to  face.  The  same  thing 
happens  when  any  one  thinks  of  another  from  the  affection  of 
love  ;  but  by  this  affection  conjunction  is  produced,  and  by  the 
other  presence,  only.  This  is  peculiar  to  the  spiritual  world  ; 
the  reason  of  which  is,  that  all  there  are  spiritual.  It  is  not  so 
in  the  natural  world,  in  which  all  are  material.  In  the  natural 
world,  the  same  takes  place  with  men  in  the  affections  and 
thoughts  of  their  spirit ;  but  as  in  the  natural  world  there  are 
spaces,  while  in  the  spiritual  world  spaces  are  only  appearances, 
therefore  in  the  latter  that  which  has  place  in  the  thought  of 
any  spirit  is  actually  effected.  These  things  are  stated,  in  order 
that  it  may  be  known  in  what  manner  is  effected  the  conjunction 
of  the  Lord  with  the  angels,  and  also  the  apparent  reciprocal 
conjunction  of  the  angels  with  the  Lord  ;  for  all  the  angels  turn 
their  faces  to  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  looks  at  them  in  the  fore¬ 
head,  and  the  angels  direct  their  eyes  towards  the  Lord.  The 
reason  is,  because  the  forehead  corresponds  to  love  and  its  affec¬ 
tions.  and  the  eyes  correspond  to  wisdom  and  its  perceptions. 
Yet  the  angels  from  themselves  do  not  turn  their  faces  to  the 
Lord,  but  the  Lord  turns  them  to  himself ;  he  turns  them  by 
influx  into  their  life’s  love,  and  by  it  enters  into  their  percep¬ 
tions  and  thoughts,  and  so  converts  them.  Such  a  circulation 
of  the  love  to  the  thoughts,  and  from  the  thoughts  to  the  love 
18 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


29—32 


from  love,  lias  place  in  all  tlie  human  mind ;  which  circulation 
or  circle  may  he  called  the  circle  of  life.  On  this  subject  see 
some  particulars  also  in  the  treatise  cn  The  Divine  Love  and 
the  Divine  Wisdom  ;  as,  That  the  angels  constantly  turn 
their  laces  to  the  Lord  as  the  sun,  n.  129 — 134.  That  all  the 
interiors  both  of  the  minds  and  of  the  bodies  of  angels  are  in 
like  manner  turned  to  the  Lord  as  a  sun,  n.  135 — 139.  That 
every  spirit,  of  whatsoever  quality,  in  like  manner  turns  him¬ 
self  to  his  ruling  love,  n.  140 — 145.  That  love  conjoins  itself 
to  wisdom,  and  causes  wisdom  to  be  reciprocally  conjoined  to  it, 
n.  410 — 412.  That  the  angels  are  in  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord 
in  them;  and,  forasmuch  as  the  angels  are  recipients,  that  the 
Lord  alone  is  heaven,  n.  113 — 118. 

30.  The  Lord’s  heaven  in  the  natural  world  is  called  the 
church,  and  an  an^el  of  this  heaven  is  a  man  of  the  church 
who  is  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  who  also,  after  his  departure 
out  of  the  world,  becomes  an  angel  of  the  spiritual  heaven : 
from  which  it  is  evident,  that  what  is  said  of  the  angelic  heaven, 
is  to  be  understood  of  the  human  heaven,  which  is  called  the 
church.  This  reciprocal  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  which  con¬ 
stitutes  heaven  in  man,  is  revealed  by  the  Lord  in  these  words 
in  John  :  u  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.”  u  He  that  abideth  in 
me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit :  for 
without  me  ye  can  do  nothing”  (xv.  4,  5,  7). 

31.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  the  Lord  is  heaven,  not  only 
in  common  to  all,  but  also  in  particular  to  each  individual 
there ;  for  every  angel  is  a  heaven  in  its  least  form  :  and  from 
as  many  heavens  as  there  are  angels,  heaven  in  common  exists. 
That  this  is  the  case  may  be  seen  in  the  work  on  Heaven  an  i> 
Hell,  n.  51 — '58.  Let  not  then  any  one  cherish  this  error, 
which  enters  into  the  first  thoughts  of  many,  that  »the  Lord  is 
in  heaven  among  the  angels,  or  that  he  is  with  them  as  a  king 
is  in  his  kingdom :  as  to  appearance  in  the  sun  there,  he  is  > 
above  them ;  but  as  to  their  life  of  love  and  wisdom,  he  is  in 
them. 

32.  II.  That  a  man  hy  creation  is  such ,  that  he  can  he  more 
and  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord ,  may  appear  from  what  is 
shown  concerning  degrees,  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine  Yvr isdom,  Part  III.,  particularly  from  the  fol¬ 
lowing  articles  :  That  there  are  three  discrete  degrees  or  degrees 
of  altitude  in  a  man  by  creation,  n.  230 — 235.  That  these  three 
degrees  are  in  every  man  by  birth ;  and  that  as  they  are  opened, 
a  man  is  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  him,  n.  236 — 241.  And 
that  all  perfections  increase  and  ascend  with  degrees,  and  accord¬ 
ing  to  them,  n.  199—204.  From  which  it  is  evident,  that  a  man 
by  creation  is  such,  that  by  degrees  he  can  be  more  and  more 
nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  Put  it  should  be  well  un/lerstood 
what  degrees  are  ;  that  they  are  of  two  kinds — discrete  degrees 

19  c 


32,  33 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


or  degrees  of  altitude,  and  continuous  degrees  or  degrees  of 
latitude  ;  and  what  is  the  difference  between  them  :  also,  that 
every  man  by  creation,  and  thence  by  birth,  has  three  discrete 
degrees  or  degrees  of  altitude ;  that  he  comes  into  the  first 
degree,  which  is  called  the  natural  degree,  when  he  is  bom ; 
and  that  he  can  increase  this  degree  in  himself  by  continuity, 
till  he  becomes  rational ;  that  he  comes  into  the  second,  which 
is  called  the  spiritual  degree,  if  he  live  according  to  the  spiritual 
laws  of  order,  which  are  principles  of  divine  truth ;  and  that 
he  may  also  come  into  the  third  or  celestial  degree,  if  he  live 
according  to  the  celestial  laws  of  order,  which  are  principles  of 
divine  good.  These  degrees  are  actually  opened  in  a  man  by  the 
Lord  according  to  his  life  in  the  world,  but  not  perceptibly  and 
sensibly  till  after  his  departure  out  of  the  world ;  and  as  they 
are  opened  and  afterwards  perfected,  so  a  man  is  more  and  more 
nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  This  conjunction  by  nearer  ap¬ 
proach  may  be  increased  to  eternity,  and  indeed  is  increased  in 
the  angels  to  eternity ;  but  still  an  angel  cannot  arrive  at  the 
first  degree  of  the  Lord’s  love  and  wisdom,  or  attain  it,  because 
the  Lord  is  infinite,  and  an  angel  is  finite,  and  there  is  no 
proportion  between  infinite  and  finite.  Since  no  one  can 
understand  the  state  of  a  man,  and  the  state  of  his  eleva¬ 
tion  and  approximation  to  the  Lord,  except  he  knows  these 
degrees,  therefore  they  are  particularly  treated  of  in  the  treatise 
on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  "Wisdom,  n.  173 — 2S1 ; 
which  see. 

33.  We  shall  briefly  show  how  a  man  can  be  more  nearly 
conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  then  how  that  conjunction  appears 
nearer  and  nearer.  IIow  a  man  is  more  and  more  nearly  conjoined 
to  the  Lord:  This  is  done,  not  by  science  alone,  or  by  intelli¬ 
gence  alone,  or  even  by  wisdom  alone,  but  by  a  life  conjoined 
to  them.  The  life  of  a  man  is  his  love,  and  love  is  manifold.  In 
geneial  there  is  a  love  of  evil  and  a  love  of  good.  The  love  of 
evil  is  the  love  of  adultery,  revenge,  fraud,  blasphemy,  and  the 
depriving  others  of  their  goods.  The  love  of  evil,  in  thinking 
and  in  doing  these,  feels  pleasure  and  delight.  The  derivations, 
which  are  affections  of  this  love,  are  as  many  as  there  are  evils 
to  which  it  lias  determined  itself;  and  the  perceptions  and 
thoughts  of  this  love,  are  as  many  as  there  are  falsities  which 
favor  those  evils  and  confirm  them.  These  falsities  make  one 
with  the  evils,  as  the  understanding  makes  one  with  the  will ;  and 
they  arc  not  separated  from  each  other,  because  one  is  of  the 
other.  How,  as  the  Lord  flows  into  the  life’s  love  of  every  one, 
and  by  his  affections  into  his  perceptions  and  thoughts,  and  not 
nice  versa ,  as  was  said  above,  it  follows  that  he  cannot  conjoin 
himself  more  nearly  than  is  permitted  by  the  removal  of  the 
love  of  evil  with  its  affections,  which  are  lusts ;  and  as  these 
reside  in  the  natural  man,  and  whatsoever  a  man  does  from  the 
20 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


33,  34 


natural  man,  he  feels  as  if  he  acted  from  himself,  therefore  he 
ought,  as  from  himself,  to  remove  the  evils  of  his  love,  and 
then,  in  proportion  as  he  removes  them,  the  Lord  approaches 
nearer,  and  joins  himself  to  him.  Any  one  may  see  from 
reason  that  lusts,  with  their  delights,  obstruct  and  shut  the  door 
against  the  Lord,  and  that  they  cannot  be  cast  out  by  the  Lord 
so  long  as  a  man  himself  keeps  the  door  shut,  and  presses  from 
without  and  prevents  it  from  being  opened.  That  a  man  himseli 
ought  to  open  it,  is  evident  from  the  Lord’s  words  in  the  Reve¬ 
lation  :  “  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock ;  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  into  him,  and 
will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me”  (iii.  20).  Hence  it  is  evi¬ 
dent,  that  in  proportion  as  any  one  shuns  evils  as  diabolical,  and 
as  obstacles  to  the  Lord’s  entrance,  he  is  more  and  more  nearly 
conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  he  the  most  nearly,  who  abominates 
them  as  so  many  black  and  herv  devils  ;  for  evil  and  the  devil 
are  one,  and  the  falsity  of  evil  and  Satan  are  one  ;  because  as 
the  influx  of  the  Lord  is  into  the  love  of  good  and  its  affections, 
and  by  these  into  the  perceptions  and  thoughts,  all  which  derive 
from  the  good  in  which  a  man  is  principled  that  which  consti¬ 
tutes  them  truths — so  the  influx  of  the  devil,  that  is,  cf  hell,  is 
into  the  love  of  evil  and  its  affections,  which  are  lusts,  and  by 
these  into  the  perceptions  and  thoughts,  all  which  derive  from 
the  evil  in  which  a  man  is  principled  that  which  makes  them 
falsities.  Hove  that  conjunction  appears  nearer  and  nearer  :  In 
proportion  as  evils  are  removed  in  the  natural  man  by  shunning 
and  turning  away  from  them,  in  such  proportion  a  man  is  more 
nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  And  as  love  and  wisdom,  which 
are  the  Lord  himself,  are  not  in  space, — for  affection  which  is  of 
love,  and  thought  which  is  of  wisdom,  have  nothing  in  common 
with  space, — therefore  the  Lord  according  to  conjunction  by  love 
and  wisdom  appears  nearer ;  and,  on  the  contrary,  according  to 
the  rejection  of  love  and  wisdom,  more  remote.  Space  does  not 
exist  in  the  spiritual  world,  but  in  that  world  degrees  of  distance 
and  presence  are  appearances  according  to  similitudes  and  dissi¬ 
militudes  of  affections  ;  for  as  before  said,  affections  which  are  oi 
love,  and  thoughts  which  are  of  wisdom  and  in  themselves  spi¬ 
ritual,  are  not  in  space  ;  on  which  subject  see  what  is  stated  in 
the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom, 
n.  6 — 10,  n.  69 — 72,  and  elsewhere.  The  conjunction  of  the 
Lord  with  a  man,  in  whom  evils  are  removed,  is  understood  by 
these  words  of  the  Lord  ;  “  The  pure  in  heart  shall  see  God” 
(Matt.  v.  8)  :  and  by  these  ;  “  He  that  hath  my  commandments, 
and  keepeth  them,  I  will  make  my  abode  with  him.”  To  have 
his  commandments  is  to  know  them,  and  to  keep  his  command¬ 
ments  is  to  love  them ;  for  it  is  also  said  there ,  “  he  who  keepeth 
mv  commandments,  he  it  is  who  loveth  me.” 

34.  HI.  That  a  man  becomes  wiser  in  proportion  as  he  is  mare 
21 


34,  36 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  As  there  are  three  degrees  of  life 
in  a  man  by  creation,  and  thence  by  birth,  as  noticed  above,  n. 
32,  there  are  in  him  especially  three  degrees  of  wisdom.  These 
are  the  degrees  which  are  opened  in  a  man  according  to  conjunc¬ 
tion  ;  they  are  opened  according  to  love,  for  love  is  conjunction 
itself.  But  the  ascent  of  love  according  to  degrees  is  not  per¬ 
ceived  except  obscurely  by  a  man,  whereas  the  ascent  of  wisdom 
is  clearly  perceived  in  those  who  know  and  see  what  wisdom  is. 
The  reason  why  the  degrees  of  wisdom  are  perceived,  is,  that 
love  enters  by  the  affections  into  the  perceptions  and  thoughts, 
and  these  show  themselves  in  the  internal  sight  of  the  mind, 
which  corresponds  to  the  external  sight  of  the  body  :  hence  it  is 
that  wisdom  appears,  and  not  so  the  affection  of  love  which 
produces  it.  The  case  is  the  same  with  all  things  which  are 
actually  done  by  a  man.  It  is  perceived  how  the  body  effects 
them,  but  not  how  the  soul  does  :  so  also  it  is  perceived  how 
a  man  meditates,  perceives,  and  thinks,  but  not  how  the  soul  of 
his  meditations,  perceptions,  and  thoughts,  which  is  the  affection 
of  good  and  truth,  produces  them.  There  are  three  degrees  of 
wisdom — the  natural,  spiritual,  and  celestial.  A  man  is  in  tie 
natural  degree  of  wisdom  while  he  lives  in  the  world.  This 
degree  then  can  be  perfected  in  him  to  its  height,  and  yet  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  spiritual  degree  ;  because  this  degree  is 
not  continued  from  the  natural  decree  by  continuitv,  but  is 
joined  to  it  by  correspondences.  He  is  in  the  spiritual  degree 
of  wisdom  after  death ;  and  this  degree  also  is  such,  that  it  can 
be  perfected  to  its  height,  but  yet  cannot  enter  the  celestial 
degree  of  wisdom,  because  this  degree  also  is  not  continued 
from  the  spiritual  by  continuity,  but  is  joined  to  it  by  corre¬ 
spondences.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  wisdom  can  be  elevated 
in  a  triplicate  ratio,  and  that  in  each  degree  it  can  be  perfected 
in  a  simple  ratio  to  its  height.  He  who  comprehends  the  eleva¬ 
tions  and  perfections  of  these  degrees,  can  in  some  measure 
perceive  what  is  said  of  angelic  wisdom, — that  it  is  ineffable. 
This  also  is  so  ineffable,  that  a  thousand  ideas  of  thought  of  the 
angels  from  their  wisdom  cannot  present  more  than  one  idea  of 
the  thought  of  men  from  their  wisdom  ;  thus  nine  hundred  and 
ninetv-nine  ideas  of  the  thought  of  angels  cannot  enter  :  for 
they  are  supernatural.  That  this  is  the  case,  it  has  often  been 
given  me  to  know  by  lively  experience.  But,  as  was  said  before, 
no  one  can  come  into  that  ineffable  wisdom  of  the  angels,  but 
by  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  and  according  to  it ;  for  the  Lord 
only  opens  the  spiritual  degree  and  the  celestial  degree,  and  in 
those  only  who  are  wise  from  him  ;  and  those  are  wise  from  the 
Lord,  who  cast  out  from  themselves  the  devil,  that  is  evil. 

35.  But  let  not  any  one  believe,  that  a  person  has  wisdom 
because  he  knows  many  things,  and  perceives  them  in  a  certain 
light,  and  can  speak  of  them  intelligently,  unless  it  be  con* 


THE  DIVIXE  PROVIDENCE. 


35—38 


joined  to  love  ;  for  love  by  its  affections  produces  it.  If  it  is  not 
conjoined  to  love,  it  is  like  a  meteor  in  the  air  which  vanishes, 
and  like  a  falling  star ;  but  wisdom  conjoined  to  love  is  like 
the  permanent  light  of  the  sun,  and  like  a  fixed  star.  A  man 
has  the  love  of  wisdom,  in  proportion  as  he  has  an  aversion  to 
the  diabolical  crew,  which  are  the  concupiscences  of  evil  and 
falsity. 

t/  ' 

36.  Wisdom,  which  comes  by  or  according  to  perception, 
is  the  perception  of  truth  from  the  affection  of  it,  especially 
the  perception  of  spiritual  truth  ;  for  there  are  civil  truth,  moral 
truth,  and  spiritual  truth.  Those  who  are  in  the  perception  of 
spiritual  truth  from  the  affection  of  it,  are  also  in  the  perception 
of  moral  and  civil  truth  ;  for  the  affection  of  spiritual  truth  is 
the  soul  of  them.  I  have  sometimes  discoursed  about  wisdom  . 
with  the  angels,  who  said,  that  wisdom  is  conjunction  with  the 
Lord,  because  the  Lord  is  wisdom  itself ;  and  that  a  man  comes 
into  that  conjunction  who  rejects,  and  in  the  same  proportion 
only  as  he  rejects,  hell  from  himself.  They  said,  that  they 
represented  to  themselves  wisdom  as  a  magnificent  and  highly 
adorned  palace,  to  which  there  is  an  ascent  by  twelve  steps  ; 
and  that  no  one  comes  to  the  first  step,  but  from  the  Lord  by 
conjunction  with  him  ;  that  every  one  ascends  according  to  con¬ 
junction;  and  that  as  he  ascends,  he  perceives  that  no  one  is 
wise  from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord  ;  also,  that  the  things 
concerning  wTiich  he  is  wise,  compared  with  those  concerning 
which  he  is  not,  are  as  a  few  drops  to  a  great  lake.  By  the 
twelve  steps  to  the  palace  of  wisdom,  are  signified  principles  of 
good  conjoined  to  those  of  truth,  and  principles  of  truth  con¬ 
joined  to  those  of  good. 

37.  IV.  That  a  man  becomes  happier  in  proportion  as  he  is 
more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord.  The  same  things  which  are 
said  above,  n.  32,  33,  3d,  of  the  degrees  of  life  and  of  wisdom 
according  to  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  may  also  be  said  of  the 
degrees  of  felicity ;  for  felicities  or  beatitudes  and  delights 
ascend,  as  the  superior  degrees  of  the  mind,  which  are  called 
spiritual  and  celestial,  are  opened  in  a  man  ;  and  these  degrees, 
after  his  life  in  the  world,  increase  to  eternity. 

38.  Vo  man  who  is  in  the  delight  of  the  concupiscences  of 
evil  can  know  any  thing  of  the  delight  of  the  affections  of  good 
in  which  exists  the  angelic  heaven ;  for  these  two  kinds  of 
delight  are  altogether  opposite  to  each  other  in  internals,  and 
thence  interiorly  in  externals,  though  in  the  surface  itself  there 
is  but  little  difference.  For  every  love  has  its  delights,  even  the 
love  of  evil  in  those  who  are  in  concupiscences  ;  as  the  love  of 
committing  adultery,  of  revenge,  fraud,  theft,  outrage,  and,  in  the 
most  wicked,  the  love  of  blaspheming  the  holy  things  of  the 
church,  and  spitting  out  their  virulence  against  God.  The 
source  of  these  delights  is  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of 

23 


38—40 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


self.  These  delights  are  from  the  concupiscences  which  possess 
the  interiors  of  the  mind,  flow  from  them  into  the  body,  and 
there  excite  uncleannesses,  which  titillate  the  fibres.  Thus, 
from  the  delight  of  the  mind,  according  to  its  concupiscences, 
arises  delight  of  the  body.  Of  what  kind  the  unclean  things 
are,  which  titillate  the  fibres  of  the  body,  it  is  given  every  one 
to  know,  after  death,  in  the  spiritual  world.  They  are  in  general 
cadaverous,  excrementitious,  stercoraceous,  nidorous,  and  urin¬ 
ous  matters  ;  for  the  hells  abound  with  such  unclean  things ;  and 
that  they  are  correspondences,  see  some  passages  in  the  treatise 
on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  wisdom,  n.  422, 
423,  424.  But  such  foul  delights,  after  the  subjects  of  them 
enter  into  hell,  are  turned  into  direful  punishments.  These 
things  are  stated,  that  the  nature  of  the  felicity  of  heaven, 
which  is  now  to  be  spoken  of,  may  be  better  understood  ;  for 
every  thing  is  known  from  its  opposite. 

39.  The  beatitudes,  blessednesses,  delights,  and  pleasant¬ 
nesses, — in  a  word,  the  felicities  of  heaven,  cannot  be  described 
in  words,  though  in  heaven  they  can  be  perceived  by  the  sense  ; 
for  what  is  perceived  by  the  sense  alone  cannot  be  described, 
because  it  does  not  come  within  the  ideas  of  thought,  or  con¬ 
sequently  into  words  :  since  the  understanding  alone  sees,  and 
sees  the  things  which  are  of  wisdom  or  of  truth,  but  not  the 
things  which  are  of  love  or  of  good ;  therefore  those  felicities 
are  inexpressible.  But  still  they  ascend  in  a  similar  degree  with 
wisdom ;  the  varieties  of  them  are  infinite,  and  each  of  theg.e 
ineffable.  This  I  have  heard,  and  have  perceived.  These  felici¬ 
ties,  however,  enter  as  a  man  removes  the  concupiscences  of  the 
love  of  evil  and  falsity,  as  if  of  himself,  but  nevertheless  of  the 
Lord ;  for  they  are  the  felicities  of  the  affections  of  good  and  truth, 
which  are  opposite  to  the  concupiscences  of  the  love  of  evil  and 
falsity.  The  felicities  of  the  affections  of  good  and  truth  begin 
from  the  Lord,  therefore  from  the  inmost,  thence  diffusing 
themselves  to  the  inferiors,  even  to  the  ultimates,  and  so  filling 
the  angel,  and  causing  him  to  be  as  it  were  all  delight.  Such 
felicities,  with  infinite  varieties,  are  in  every  affection  of  good 
and  truth,  especially  in  the  affection  of  wisdom. 

40.  The  delights  of  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  and  those  of 
the  affections  of  good,  cannot  be  compared ;  because  the  devil 
is  inwardly  in  the  delights  of  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  and  the 
Lord  is  inwardly  in  the  delights  of  the  affections  of  good.  If 
they  are  to  be  compared,  the  delights  of  the  concupiscences  of 
evil  can  only  be  compared  with  the  lascivious  delights  of  frogs  in 
stagnant  waters,  and  of  serpents  in  stenches ;  but  the  delights 
of  the  affections  of  good  may  be  compared  to  those  of  the  mind 
in  gardens  and  shrubberies.  For  things  similar  to  what  affect 
frogs  and  serpents,  affect  also  those  in  the  hells  who  are  in  the 
con  cupiscences  of  evil ;  and  things  similar  to  what  affect  the  mind 

24 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


40—43 


in  gardens  and  shrubberies,  affect  also  those  in  the  heavens  who 
are  in  the  affections  of  good  :  because,  as  was  said  above,  corre¬ 
spondent  unclean  things  affect  the  wicked,  and  correspondent 
clean  things  affect  the  good. 

41.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  in  proportion  as  any  one  is 
more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  he  becomes  happier.  But 
this  happiness  rarely  manifests  itself  in  the  world,  because  a  man 
is  then  in  a  natural  state,  and  what  is  natural  does  not  commu¬ 
nicate  with  what  is  spiritual  by  continuity,  but  by  correspond¬ 
ences  ;  and  this  communication  is  only  felt  by  a  certain  quiet 
and  peace  of  mind,  which  is  especially  produced  after  combats 
against  evils.  When,  however,  a  man  puts  off  the  natural  and 
enters  into  the  spiritual  state,  as  is  the  case  after  his  departure 
out  of  the  world,  then  the  felicity  above  described  successively 
manifests  itself. 

42.  Y.  That  a  man ,  in proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly  com 
joined  to  the  Lord ,  appears  to  himself  to  he  more  distinctly  at  his 
own  disposal ,  and  perceives  more  evidently  that  he  is  the  Lord’s. 
In  judging  from  appearance,  it  might  be  supposed,  that  the 
nearer  any  one  is  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  the  less  he  is  free,  or 
at  his  own  disposal.  There  is  such  an  appearance  with  all  the 
wicked,  as  well  as  with  those  who  believe  from  religion  that  they 
are  not  under  the  yoke  of  the  law,  and  that  no  one  can  do  good 
from  himself ;  for  both  these  sorts  of  persons  can  see  no  other¬ 
wise,  than  that,  not  to  be  at  liberty  to  think  and  to  will  evil,  but 
only  good,  is  not  to  be  at  one’s  own  disposal ;  and  they  conclude 
from  the  appearance  in  themselves,  that  because  those  who  are 
conjoined  to  the  Lord  neither  will  nor  can  think  and  will  evil, 
therefore  this  is  to  be  not  at  their  own  disposal ;  when,  never¬ 
theless,  it  is  altogether  the  contrary. 

43.  There  is  infernal  liberty,  and  there  is  celestial  liberty. 
To  think  and  to  will  evil,  and,  so  far  as  civil  and  moraj  laws  do  not 
prevent,  to  speak  and  to  do  it,  is  from  infernal  liberty ;  but  to  think 
and  to  will  good,  and,  as  far  as  opportunity  is  given,  to  speak 
and  to  do  it,  is  from  celestial  liberty.  Whatsoever  a  man  thinks, 
wills,  speaks,  and  does,  from  freedom,  he  perceives  as  his  own, 
for  a  man  derives  all  liberty  from  his  love.  Those  therefore  who 
are  in  the  love  of  evil,  perceive  no  otherwise,  than  that  infernal 
liberty  is  real  liberty,  Avhile  those  who  are  in  the  love  of  good, 
perceive  that  celestial  liberty  is  real  liberty ;  and  to  each,  con¬ 
sequently,  the  opposite  appears  to  be  servitude  :  yet  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  only  one  of  the  two  is  liberty,  for  two  kinds  of 
liberty,  in  themselves  opposite,  cannot  both  be  liberty  ;  nor  can 
it  be  denied  that  to  be  led  by  good  is  liberty,  and  to  be  led  by 
evil  is  servitude  ;  for  to  be  led  by  good  is  to  be  led  by  the  Lord, 
and  to  be  led  by  evil  is  to  be  led  by  the  devil.  How  since  every 
thing  which  a  man  does  from  freedom  or  liberty,  appears  to  him 
as  his  own, — for,  as  was  said  above,  it  is  of  his  love,  and  to  act 

25 


43—45 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


from  his  love  is  to  act  from  liberty, — it  follows,  that  conjunction 
with  the  Lord  causes  a  man  to  appear  to  himself  free,  conse¬ 
quently  at  his  own  disposal ;  and  the  nearer  his  conjunction  with 
the  Lord  is,  the  more  free  he  appears,  consequently  the  more  at 
his  own  disposal.  The  reason  why  he  appears  to  himself  more 
distinctly  at  his  own  disposal,  is,  that  such  is  the  Divine  Love, 
that  what  is  its  own  it  wills  to  be  another’s,  therefore  to  be  men’s 
and  angels’ :  all  spiritual  love  is  such,  and  especially  Divine 
Love.  Besides,  the  Lord  never  forces  any  one,  because  nothing 
to  which  any  one  is  forced  appears  as  his  own,  and  what  does 
not  appear  as  his  own  cannot  be  made  of  his  love,  and  so  appro¬ 
priated  as  his  own.  A  man  therefore  is  led  by  the  Lord  continu¬ 
ally  in  freedom,  and  is  also  reformed  and  regenerated  in  freedom. 
But  on  this  subject  more  will  be  said  in  what  follows ;  and 
something  also  may  be  seen  above,  n.  4. 

44.  The  reason,  however,  why  a  man,  the  more  distinctly  he 
appears  to  himself  at  his  own  disposal,  the  more  evidently  per¬ 
ceives  that  he  is  the  Lord’s,  is,  that  in  proportion  as  he  is  more 
nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  he  becomes  wiser,  as  was  shown 
above,  n.  34,  35,  36 ;  and  wisdom  teaches  this,  and  he  also 
perceives  it.  The  angels  of  the  third  heaven,  because  they  are 
the  wisest  of  the  angels,  also  perceive  this,  and  likewise  call  it 
liberty  itself;  but  to  be  led  by  themselves  they  call  servitude. 
They  declare  also  the  reason  of  this,  namely,  that  the  Lord 
does  not  flow  immediately  into  the  things  which  are  of  their 
perception  and  thought  from  wisdom,  but  into  the  affections  of 
the  love  of  good,  and  through  the  latter  into  the  former ;  that 
they  perceive  the  influx  in  the  affection  from  which  is  derived 
their  wisdom ;  that  then  all  which  they  think  from  wisdom 
appears  as  from  themselves,  therefore  as  their  own  ;  and  that  by 
this  reciprocal  conjunction  is  effected. 

45.  As  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  has  for  its  end  a 
heaven  out  of  the  human  race,  it  follows  that  it  has  for  its  end  the 
conjunction  of  the  human  race  with  him,  concerning  which  see 
n.  28 — 31 ;  also,  that  it  has  for  its  end  that  a  man  may  be  more 
and  more  nearly  conjoined  to  him  (see  n.  32,  33),  for  thus  lie 
enters  an  interior  heaven :  also,  that  it  has  for  its  end,  that  a 
man  by  such  conjunction  may  become  wiser  (see  n.  34,  35,  36) ; 
and  that  he  may  become  happier  (see  n.  37 — 41) ;  because  a  man 
possesses  heaven  from  wisdom,  and  according  to  it ;  and  by  it 
also  felicity :  and  lastly,  that  it  has  for  its  end,  that  a  man  may 
appear  to  himself  more  distinctly  as  his  own,  and  yet  may  per¬ 
ceive  more  evidently  that  he  is  the  Lord’s  (see  n.  42,  43,  44). 
Ail  these  things  are  of  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord, 
because  all  these  things  constitute  heaven,  which  is  the  end 
proposed. 


26 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


46 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  OF  THE  LORD,  IN  ALL  THAT  IT 
DOES,  HAS  RESPECT  TO  WHAT  IS  INFINITE  AND  ETERNAL. 


46.  It  is  well  known  in  the  Christian  world,  that  God  is 
infinite  and  eternal ;  for  in  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity,  which 
has  its  name  from  Athanasius,  it  is  said  that  God  the  Father  is 
infinite,  eternal,  and  omnipotent ;  in  like  manner,  God  the  Son, 
and  God  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  that  nevertheless  there  are  not 
three  Infinites,  Eternals,  and  Omnipotents,  but  one.  From 
this  it  follows,  that  as  God  is  infinite  and  eternal,  nothing  but 
infinite  and  eternal  can  be  predicated  of  God.  But  what  infinite 
and  eternal  is,  cannot  be  comprehended  by  finite  beings,  and 
yet  it  can  :  it  cannot  be  comprehended,  because  finite  is  not 
capable  of  infinite  ;  and  yet  it  can  be  comprehended,  because 
there  are  abstract  ideas  given,  by  which  it  can  be  seen  that 
things  exist,  though  not  what  is  their  quality.  Such  ideas  are 
given  of  infinite,  as,  that  God,  because  he  is  infinite,  or  the 
Divine,  because  it  is  infinite,  is  Esse  itself;  that  it  is  essence  and 
substance  itself;  that  it  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  or  that 
it  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself;  therefore  that  it  is  itself,  yea, 
that  it  is  man  himself :  then  also  if  it  be  said  that  infinite  is 
all, — that  Infinite  Wisdom  is  Omniscience,  and  Infinite  Power  is 
Omnipotence.  Still,  however,  these  things  fall  but  obscurely 
within  the  thought,  and  from  being  incomprehensible  perhaps 
come  to  be  denied ;  unless  the  things  which  thought  derives 


from  nature  be  abstracted  from  the  idea,  especially  what  it 
derives  from  those  two  things  proper  to  nature,  space  and  time  ; 
for  these  cannot  but  terminate  ideas,  and  cause  abstract  ideas 
to  be  as  nothing.  But  if  these  can  be  abstracted  by  a  man  as 
they  are  by  an  angel,  then  infinite  can  %be  comprehended  by 
means  of  the  things  above  mentioned ;  and  it  can  also  be  compre¬ 
hended  that  a  man  is  something,  because  he  was  created  by  an 
infinite  God  who  is  all ;  and  that  a  man  is  a  finite  substance, 
because  he  was  created  by  an  infinite  God,  who  is  substance 
itself;  also,  that  a  man  is  wisdom,  because  he  was  created  by  an 
infinite  God  who  is  wisdom  itself,  and  so  on  ;  for  unless  the 
infinite  God  were  all,  substance  itself,  and  wisdom  itself,  a  man 
would  not  be  any  thing  ;  therefore  he  would  either  be  nothing, 
or  only  an  idea  of  being,  according  to  those  visionaries  who  are 
called  idealists.  From  what  is  shown  in  the  treatise  on  The 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  it  is  evident,  that 
the  Divine  Essence  is  love  and  wisdom,  n.  28 — 39.  That  the 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  are  substance  itself  and 
form  itself;  and  that  it  is  self-subsisting  and  sole-subsisting, 
n.  40 — 46.  And  that  God  created  the  universe  and  all 

things  therein  from  Himself,  and  not  from  nothing,  n.  282, 
283,  284.  Thence  it  follows,  that  every  created  thing,  and 
27 


46—48 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


especially  a  man,  and  in  liim  love  and  wisdom,  are  somethix. 
and  not  merely  an  idea  of  being ;  for  if  God  was  not  infinite, 
there  would  he  no  finite  ;  also,  if  infinite  was  not  all,  there 
would  not  be  any  thing  :  and  if  God  had  not  created  all  things 
out  of  Himself,  there  would  be  nothing ;  in  a  word,  we  are 
because  God  is. 

47  How,  as  the  Divine  Proyidence  is  the  subject  here 
treated  of,  and  it  is  intended  in  this  article  to  show  how  it  has 
respect,  in  all  that  it  does,  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal,  and 
as  this  cannot  be  set  forth  distinctly  except  in  a  certain  order ; 
therefore  the  order  shall  be  as  follows  :  I.  That  what  is  infinite 
in  itself  and  eternal  in  itself  is  the  same  as  what  is  diyine.  H. 
That  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  itself  cannot  but  haye  respect 
to  what  is  infinite  from  itself  in  Unites.  HI.  That  the  Diyine 
Providence,  in  all  that  it  does,  has  respect  to  what  is  infinite 
and  eternal  from  itself,  especially  in  saving  the  human  race. 
IV.  That  an  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  exists  in  the 
angelic  heaven  from  the  human  race  saved.  V.  That  to  have 
respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  forming  the  angelic 
heaven,  in  order  that  it  may  be  before  the  Lord  as  one  man, 
the  image  of  himself,  is  the  inmost  end  or  purpose  of  the  Divine 
Providence. 

48.  I.  That  what  is  infinite  in  itself  and  eternal  in  itself  is 
the  same  as  whod  is  divine ,  may  appear  from  what  is  shown  in 
many  places  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom.  That  what  is  infinite  in  itself  and  eternal  in 
itself  is  divine,  is  grounded  in  the  idea  of  the  angels,,  they 
meaning  by  infinite  no  other  than  the  divine  esse,  and  by  eternal 
the  divine  existeve.  But  that  what  is  infinite  in  itself  and 
eternal  in  itself  is  divine,  can  be  seen,  and  yet  cannot  be  seen 
by  men  :  it  can  be  seen  by  those  who  think  of  infinite  not  from 
space,  and  of  eternal  not  from  time  ;  but  cannot  be  seen 
by  those  who  think  of  infinite  and  eternal  from  space  and 
time :  therefore  it  can  be  seen  by  those  who  think  more  ele- 
vatedly,  that  is,  more  interiorly  in  the  rational  mind ;  but  it 
cannot  be  seen  by  those  whose  thought  is  lower,  that  is,  more 
exterior.  Those,  by  whom  it  can  be  seen,  think  that  infinity  of 
sjDace  cannot  exist,  nor  therefore  infinity  of  time,  which  is 
eternity  from  which  all  things  began,  because  that  which  is 
infinite  is  without  a  first  and  last  end,  or  without  bounds. 
They  think  also,  that  neither  can  there  exist  infinite  from  itself, 
because  from  itself  supposes  a  limit  and  beginning,  or  a  prior 
from  which  it  is  derived  ;  consequently,  that  it  is  a  vain  thing  to 
speak  of  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself,  because  that  woidd  be 
like  speaking  of  esse  from  itself,  which  is  contradictory ;  for 
infinite  from  itself  would  be  infinite  from  infinite,  and  esse  from 
itself  would  be  esse  from  esse ,  and  such  infinite  and  esse  would 
either  be  the  same  with  infinite,  or  it  would  be  finite.  From 
28 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


4S— 50 


these  and  similar  considerations,  which  can  he  seen  interiorly  in 
the  rational  mind,  it  is  evident  that  there  exist  infinite  in  itself, 
and  eternal  in  itself,  and  that  both  together  are  the  Divine, 
from  which  are  all  things. 

49.  I  know  that  many  will  say  within  themselves,  How  can 
any  one  comprehend  interiorly  in  his  rational  mind  any  thing 
without  space  and  without  time  ;  and  that  they  not  only  are, 
but  also  that  they  constitute  the  all — the  very  thing  from  which 
all  things  are  derived  :  but  think  interiorly,  whether  love  or  any 
affection  thereof,  or  wisdom  or  any  perception  thereof  or  even 
whether  thought,  is  in  space  and  in  time  ;  and  you  will  find 
that  they  are  not :  and  since  the  Divine  is  Love  itself  and 
Wisdom  itself,  it  follows  that  the  Divine  cannot  be  conceived  in 
space  and  in  time,  therefore  neither  can  infinite.  That  this  may 
be  more  clearly  perceived,  consider  whether  thought  is  in  time 
and  space.  Suppose  a  progression  of  it  during  ten  or  twelve 
hours  :  may  not  this  space  of  time  appear  as  but  of  one  or  two 
hours,  and  may  it  not  also  appear  as  of  one  or  two  days  ? 
for  it  appears  according  to  the  state  of  the  affection  from  which 
the  thought  is  derived.  If  it  is  an  affection  of  joy,  in  which 
time  is  not  regarded,  the  thought  of  ten  or  twelve  hours  seems 
scarcely  of  one  or  two  ;  but  the  reverse  happens  if  the  affection 
is  of  grief,  in  which  time  is  attended  to.  Hence  it  is  evident, 
that  time  is  only  an  appearance  according  to  the  state  of  affec¬ 
tion  from  which  thought  is  derived.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
distance  of  space  in  thought,  whether  in  walking,  or  in  going  a 
journey. 

50.  As  angels  and  spirits  are  affections  which  are  of  love, 
and  thoughts  thence  derived,  consequently  they  also  are  not  in 
space  and  time,  but  only  in  the  appearance  thereof.  The  ap¬ 
pearance  of  space  and  time  is  to  them  according  to  the  states  of 
the  affections,  and  thence  of  the  thoughts.  Therefore,  when 
any  one  thinks  of  another  from  affection,  intently  desiring  to 
see  him  or  speak  with  him,  the  other  actually  presents  himself. 
Hence  it  is,  that  there  are  present  with  every  man  spirits  who 
are  in  a  similar  affection  with  him, — evil  spirits  with  him  who 
is  in  the  affection  of  similar  evil,  and  good  spirits  with  him 
who  is  in  the  affection  of  similar  good  ;  and  they  are  as  really 
present  as  any  one  can  be  with  company  shut  up  in  the  same 
room.  Space  and  time  contribute  nothing  to  presence  ;  because 
affection  and  its  consequent  thought  are  not  in  space  and  time, 
and  spirits  and  angels  are  affections  and  thoughts  derived  from 
them.  That  this  is  the  case,  it  has  been  given  me  to  know  from 
lively  experience  of  several  years  ;  and  also  from  this  circum¬ 
stance,  that  I  have  conversed  with  many  persons  after  death,  as 
well  with  those  in  Europe  and  its  various  kingdoms,  as  with 
those  in  Asia  and  Africa,  and  their  various  kingdoms  ;  and  they 
were  all  near  me  :  ’whereas,  if  they  had  been  in  space  and  time, 

29 


50—52 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


a  journey  must  have  intervened,  and  time  for  that  journey. 
Indeed,  every  man  knows  this  to  be  the  case  from  something 
inherent  in  himself  or  in  his  mind,  as  wTas  proved  to  me  by 
this  consideration, — that  no  one  thought  of  any  distance  of 
space,  when  I  related  that  I  had  conversed  with  any  person  who 
died  in  Asia,  Africa,  or  Europe, — as  for  example,  with  Calvin, 
Luther,  Melancthon,  or  with  any  king,  governor,  or  priest,  in 
a  remote  country  ;  and  it  did  not  even  enter  into  any  one’s 
thoughts  to  ask,  How  could  he  converse  with  those  wdio  lived 
there,  and  how  could  they  come  to  him  and  be  present,  wLen 
nevertheless  lands  and  seas  intervene  ?  From  this  consideration 
also  it  was  evident  to  me,  that  no  one  thinks  from  space  and 
time,  when  he  thinks  of  those  who  are  in  the  spiritual  world. 
That,  notwithstanding,  they  have  an  appearance  of  space  and 
time  there,  may  be  seen  in  the  wTork  on  Heaven  and  Hell,  n. 
162— 169,  191—199. 

51.  From  these  considerations  then  it  may  appear,  that 
infinite  and  eternal,  consequently  the  Lord,  is  to  be  thought  of 
without  space  and  time  ;  and  that  he  can  be  so  thought  of,  like¬ 
wise  that  he  is  so  thought  of,  by  those  who  think  interiorly  in 
the  rational  mind ;  and  that  then  infinite  and  eternal  is  the 
same  with  the  Divine.  Thus  do  angels  and  spirits  think.  By 
virtue  of  thought  abstracted  from  time  and  space  are  compre¬ 
hended  the  Divine  Omnipresence  and  the  Divine  Omnipotence, 
and  likewise  the  Divine  from  eternity,  and  not  at  all  by  thought 
in  which  is  included  an  idea  from  space  and  time.  Hence  it  is 
evident,  that  wTe  can  think  of  God  from  eternity,  but  never  of 
nature  from  eternity;  consequently  that  we  can  think  of  the 
creation  of  the  universe  by  God,  but  not  any  thing  at  all  of 
creation  from  nature  ;  for  space  and  time  are  proper  to  nature, 
but  the  Divine  is  without  them.  That  the  Divine  is  without 
space  and  time,  may  be  seen  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  7 — 10,  69 — 72,  73 — 76, 
and  elsewhere. 

52.  II.  That  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  itself ,  cannot  but 
have  respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself  in  finites. 
By  infinite  and  eternal  in  itself  is  meant  the  Divine  itself,  as 
was  shown  in  the  preceding  article.  By  finites  are  meant  all 
things  created  from  the  Divine,  and  especially  men,  spirits,  and 
angels  ;  and  to  have  respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from 
itself,  is  to  respect  the  Divine,  that  is,  himself,  in  them,  as  a 
man  respects  or  beholds  his  image  in  a  glass.  That  this  is  the 
case,  is  abundantly  shown  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  especially  where  it  is  demonstrated, 
that  in  the  created  universe  there  is  an  image  of  man,  and  that 
it  is  an  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal,  n.  317,  318,  there¬ 
fore  an  image  of  God  the  Creator,  that  is,  of  the  Lord  from 
eternity.  But  it  is  to  be  understood,  that  the  Divine  in  itself 

30 


THE  DIVINE  mOVIDENCE. 


52—54 


is  in  the  Lord,  but  the  Divine  from  itself  is  the  Divine  from  the 
Lord  in  things  created. 

53.  For  the  better  understanding  of  this,  however,  it  may 
be  expedient  to  illustrate  it.  The  Divine  cannot  respect  or 
regard  any  thing  but  what  is  divine,  and  cannot  respect  what  is 
divine  anvwhere  but  in  things  created  from  itself.  That  such  is 
the  case,  is  evident  from  this  consideration,  that  no  one  can 
respect  another  but  from  something  of  his  own  existing  in  him¬ 
self ;  he  who  loves  another,  regards  him  from  his  own  love  in 
himself ;  he  who  is  wise,  regards  another  from  his  own  wisdom 
in  himself.  Lie  may  see  indeed  that  the  other  either  does  or 
does  not  love  him,  and  that  he  is  either  wise  or  not  wise ;  but 
this  he  sees  from  love  and  wisdom  in  himself ;  therefore  he 
conjoins  himself  to  him  in  proportion  as  the  other’s  love  for  him 
corresponds  with  his  love  for  the  other,  or  in  proportion  as  the 
other  is  wise  like  himself;  for  they  thus  act  as  one.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  Divine  in  itself ;  for  the  Divine  in  itself  cannot 
respect  itself  from  another,  as  from  a  man,  spirit,  or  angel ;  lor 
they  have  nothing  of  the  all-creating  Divine  in  itself,  and  to 
respect  the  Divine  from  another,  in  which  there  is  nothing  ct 
the  Divine,  would  be  to  respect  the  Divine  from  what  is  net 
divine,  which  is  impossible.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  Lord  is  so 
conjoined  to  a  man,  spirit,  and  angel,  that  all  which  has  relation 
to  the  Divine  is  not  from  them  but  from  the  Lord.  For  it  is 
a  known  thing,  that  all  the  good  and  all  the  truth  which  any 
one  has,  is  not  from  himself  but  from  the  Lord ;  and  indeed 
that  no  one  can  even  name  the  Lord,  or  utter  his  names,  Jesus 
and  Christ,  but  from  him.  From  this  then  it  follows,  that 
infinite  and  eternal,  which  is  the  same  with  the  Divine,  respects 
all  things  infinitely  in  finite  subjects,  and  that  it  conjoins  itself 
to  them  according  to  the  degree  of  the  reception  of  wisdom  and 
love  in  them.  In  a  word,  the  Lord  cannot  have  his  mansion 
and  dwell  with  a  man  and  angel,  but  in  his  own,  and  not  in  their 
proprium,  for  that  is  evil ;  and  if  it  were  good,  still  it  is  finite, 
which  in  itself,  and  from  itself,  is  not  capable  of  infinite. 
From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  it  can  never  be 
possible  for  finite  to  respect  infinite,  but  that  it  is  possible 
for  infinite  to  respect  what  is  infinite  from  itself  in  finite 
subjects. 

54.  It  appears  as  if  infinite  could  not  be  conjoined  to  finite, 
because  there  is  no  proportion  between  infinite  and  finite,  and 
because  finite  is  not  capable  of  infinite ;  but  nevertheless  con¬ 
junction  is  given,  as  well  because  infinite  out  of  itself  created 
all  things,  according  to  what  is  shown  in  the  treatise  on  The 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  282,  283,  284,  as 
because  infinite  cannot  respect  any  thing  else  in  Unites  but  what 
is  infinite  from  itself,  and  that  this  can  appear  with  finite  beings 
as  in  them.  Thus  is  established  a  proportion  between  finite  and 

31 


54—56 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


infinite,  not  from  finite,  but  from  infinite  in  finite ;  and  thus 
als^  finite  is  capable  of  infinite,  not  finite  in  itself,  but  as  if  in 
itself,  originating  in  infinite  from  itself  in  it.  But  of  this  more 
in  what  now  follows. 

55.  III.  That  the  Divine  Providence  in  all  that  it  does  has 
respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself ,  especially  in 
saving  the  human  race.  Infinite  and  eternal  in  itself  is  the 
Divine  itself,  or  the  Lord  in  himself;  but  infinite  and  eternal 
from  itself  is  the  proceeding  Divine,  or  the  Lord  in  others 
created  out  of  himself,  therefore  in  men  and  in  angels,  and  this 
Divine  is  the  same  with  the  Divine  Providence  ;  for  the  Lord  by 
the  Divine  Lorn  himself  provides,  that  all  things  may  be  con¬ 
tained  i  n  the  order  in  which  and  for  which  they  were  created ; 
and  as  the  proceeding  Divine  effects  this,  it  follows  that  all  that 
is  the  Divine  Providence. 

56.  That  the  Divine  Providence  in  all  that  it  does  has 
respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from  itself,  may  appear 
from  this  consideration,  that  every  created  thing,  from  the  First, 
who  is  infinite  and  eternal,  proceeds  to  ultimates,  and  from 
ultimates  to  the  First  from  whom  it  proceeded,  as  was  shown  in 
the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  in  the  part  which  treats  of  the  creation  of  the  uni¬ 
verse  ;  and  as  in  all  its  progression,  the  First  from  which  it  is 
derived  exists  intimately,  it  follows,  that  the  proceeding  Divine 
or  the  Divine  Providence,  in  all  that  it  does,  respects  some 
image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal.  This  it  does  in  all  things  ; 
but  in  some  in  a  manner  evidently  perceptible,  and  in  others  not. 
It  presents  that  image  in  a  manner  evidently  perceptible  in  the 
variety  which  exists  in  all  things,  and  in  the  fructification  and 
multiplication  of  all  things.  An  image  of  what  is  infinite  a/nd 
eternal  in  the  variety  of  all  things  appears  in  this,  that  there  does 
not  exist,  nor  can  exist  to  eternity,  any  one  thing  the  same 
with  another.  This  is  manifest  to  the  eye  in  the  faces  of  men 
from  the  first  creation,  and  therefore  also  from  their  minds, 
of  which  their  faces  are  the  types,  and  also  from  their  affections, 
perceptions,  and  thoughts,  for  of  these  the  mind  consists. 
Hence  it  is  that  there  do  not  exist  in  the  universal  heaven,  nor 
indeed  can  there  exist  to  eternity,  two  angels  or  two  spirits  the 
same.  The  same  is  true  in  regard  to  every  object  of  sight  in 
both  worlds,  as  well  in  the  natural  as  in  the  spiritual :  hence  it 
may  appear  that  the  variety  is  infinite  and  eternal.  An  image  of 
what  is  infinite  and  eternal  in  the  fructification  and  multiplica¬ 
tion  of  all  things ,  is  evident  from  the  faculty  which  is  inherent 
in  seeds  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  in  prolification  in  the 
animal  kingdom,  especially  in  the  spawn  of  fishes,  which  is 
such,  that,  if  they  were  to  fructify  and  multiply  according  to  it, 
they  would  in  an  age  fill  the  spaces  of  the  whole  world,  and  even 
of  the  universe  ;  from  which  consideration  it  is  evident,  that,  in 

32 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


56—58 


that  faculty  there  lies  concealed  an  effort  to  propagate  itself  to 
infinity  :  and  as  fructifications  and  multiplications  have  not 
failed  from  the  beginning  of  creation,  and  will  never  tail  to 
eternity,  it  follows  that  in  that  faculty  there  is  also  an  effort  to 
propagate  itself  to  eternity. 

57.  It  is  the  same  in  men  as  to  their  affections  which  are 
of  love,  and  their  perceptions  which  are  of  wisdom  ;  the  variety 

f  both  these  is  infinite  and  eternal ;  in  like  manner  their  fructi¬ 
fications  and  multiplications,  which  are  spiritual.  No  man 
possesses  affection  and  perception  so  like  another  as  to  be  the 
same,  nor  is  it  possible  to  eternity.  Moreover,  affections  can  be 
fructified  and  perceptions  multiplied  without  end.  That  sciences 
can  never  be  exhausted,  is  well  known.  This  faculty  of  fructi¬ 
fication  and  multiplication  without  end,  or  to  infinity  and 
eternity,  exists  in  things  natural  with  men,  in  things  spiritual 
with  spiritual  angels,  and  in  things  celestial  with  celestial 
angels.  Affections,  perceptions,  and  knowledges,  are  such  not 
only  in  general,  but  also  in  every  particular,  even  the  least  con¬ 
stituent  thing.  They  are  such,  because  they  exist  from  what  is 
infinite  and  eternal  in  itself,  by  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  from 
itself.  But  since  what  is  finite  has  not  any  thing  of  the  divine 
in  itself,  therefore  there  is  not  any  thing  divine,  not  even  the 
least,  in  a  man  or  an  angel  as  his  own  :  for  a  man  or  an  angel  is 
finite,  and  merely  a  receptacle,  which  in  itself  is  dead  ;  his  living 
rinciple  being  from  the  proceeding  Divine,  which  is  joined  to 
n'm  by  contiguity,  and  which  appears  to  him  as  his  own.  That 
this  is  the  case,  will  be  seen  in  what  follows. 

58.  The  reason  why  the  Divine  Providence  respects  what  is 
infinite  and  eternal  from  itself,  especially  in  saving  the  human 
race,  is,  because  the  end  of  the  Divine  Providence  is  to  form  a 
heaven  out  of  the  human  race,  as  was  shown  above,  n.  37- — 45  ; 
and  this  being  the  end,  it  follows,  that  it  is  the  reformation  and 
regeneration  of  man,  therefore  his  salvation,  which  the  Divine 
Providence  particularly  regards,  since  heaven  exists  from  those 
who  are  saved  or  regenerated.  And  as  to  regenerate  a  man  is 
to  unite  in  him  good  and  truth,  or  love  and  wisdom,  as  they  are 
united  in  the  Divine  which  proceeds  from  the  Lord,  therefore 
the  Divine  Providence  especially  regards  this  in  saving  the 
human  race  ;  the  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  not 
existing  in  a  man,  except  in  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth. 
That  the  proceeding  Divine  effects  this  in  the  human  race 
is  known  from  those  who,  being  filled  with  the  proceeding 
Divine,  which  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  have  prophesied,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  in  the  Word  ;  and  from  those  who,  being 
illuminated,  see  divine  truths  in  the  light  of  heaven ;  and  it  is 
especially  in  the  angels,  who  sensibly  perceive  the  presence, 
influx,  and  conjunction  thereof ;  yet  they  perceive  also,  that  such 
conjunction  is  no  other  than  what  may  be  called  adjunction. 

33 


1 


59—61 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING . 


59.  Although  not  heretofore  known,  the  Divine  Providence, 
in  all  its  proceedings  with  a  man,  has  respect  to  his  eternal  state ; 
for  it  cannot  regard  any  thing  else,  because  the  Divine  is  infinite 
and  eternal,  and  the  infinite  and  eternal,  or  the  Divine,  is  not 
in  time,  consequently  things  future  are  present  to  it ;  and  as 
the  Divine  is  such,  it  follows,  that  in  all  and  every  thing  which 
it  effects,  there  is  respect  to  eternity.  Those,  however,  who 
think  from  time  and  space,  perceive  this  with  difficulty,  not 
'  ily  because  they  love  temporal  things,  but  because  they  think 
from  what  is  present  in  the  world,  and  not  from  what  is  present 
in  heaven,  the  latter  being  as  absent  from  them  as  the  end  of 
the  earth.  But  those  who  are  in  the  Divine,  when  they  think 
from  the  present,  think  also  from  what  is  eternal,  because  they 
think  from  the  Lord,  saying  with  themselves,  What  is  that 
which  is  not  eternal  ?  is  not  what  is  temporal  comparatively  as 
nothing,  and  does  it  not  also  become  nothing  when  it  is  ended  ? 
Not  so  what  is  eternal,  which  alone  is,  because  its  being  has  no 
end.  To  think  thus,  is,  while  thinking  from  the  present,  to 
think  at  the  same  time  from  what  is  eternal ;  and  when  a  man  so 
thinks,  and  also  lives  accordingly,  then  the  proceeding  Divine 
in  him,  or  the  Divine  Providence,  in  all  its  progress,  respects 
the  state  of  his  eternal  life  in  heaven,  and  leads  him  to  it.  That 
the  Divine  in  every  man,  as  well  evil  as  good,  regards  what  is 
eternal,  will  be  seen  in  what  follows. 

60.  IV.  That  an  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  exists 
in  the  angelic  heaven.  Among  the  things  necessary  to  be  known, 
is  also  the  angelic  heaven ;  for  every  one  who  has  any  religion 
thinks  of  heaven,  and  wfishes  to  go  thither  ;  but  heaven  is  not 
granted  to  any  but  those  who  know  the  way  to  it  and  walk 
therein.  This  way  likewise  may  in  some  measure  be  known 
from  a  knowledge  of  the  nature  and  quality  of  those  who  con¬ 
stitute  heaven,  and  that  no  one  becomes  an  angel  or  goes  to 
heaven  but  he  who  takes  with  him  the  angelic  principle  out  of 
the  world,  in  which  angelic  principle  there  is  a  knowledge  of 
the  way  derived  from  walking  in  it,  and  a  walking  in  the  way 
through  a  knowledge  of  it.  In  the  spiritual  world  also  there 
are  actually  ways,  which  extend  towards  every  society  of  heaven, 
and  towards  every  society  of  hell ;  and  every  one  sees  his  way  as 
from  himself.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  there  are  ways  there 
for  every  love,  each  opening  that  which  leads  to  its  associates  ; 
and  no  one  sees  any  other  ways  than  those  of  his  own  love. 
From  this  consideration  it  is  evident,  that  angels  are  no  other 
than  celestial  loves,  for  otherwise  they  would  not  have  seen  the 
ways  leading  to  heaven.  But  this  may  appear  more  clear  from 
a  description  of  heaven. 

61.  Every  spirit  of  a  man  is  affection  and  thought  thence 
derived  ;  and  as  every  affection  is  of  love,  and  thought  is  of  the 
understanding,  every  spirit  is  his  own  love  and  his  own  under- 

34 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


61— 63 


standing  ;  which  is  the  reason  that  when  a  man  thinks  only  from 
his  spirit,  as  he  does  when  he  meditates  at  home  with  himself* 
he  thinks  from  the  affection  which  is  of  his  love.  Hence  it  may 
appear,  that  when  a  man  becomes  a  spirit,  which  is  the  case 
after  death,  he  is  the  affection  of  his  love,  and  no  other  thought 
but  what  is  of  his  affection.  He  is  an  evil  affection,  which  is 
cupidity,  if  he  has  been  principled  in  the  love  of  evil ;  and  a  good 
affection,  if  he  has  been  principled  in  the  love  of  good ;  and 
every  one  has  a  good  affection  in  proportion  as  he  has  shunned 
evils  as  sins,  or  an  evil  affection,  in  proportion  as  he  has  not  so 
shunned  them.  How  as  all  spirits  and  angels  are  affections,  it 
is  evident  that  the  universal  angelic  heaven  is  nothing  but  the 
love  of  all  the  affections  of  good.  and  thence  the  wisdom  of  all 
the  perceptions  of  truth.  As,  likewise,  all  good  and  truth  is 
from  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  it 
follows,  that  the  angelic  heaven  is  an  image  of  him  ;  and  as  the 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  is  in  its  form  a  man,  it 
also  follows,  that  the  angelic  heaven  cannot  be  otherwise  than  in 
such  a  form.  But  more  will  be  said  of  this  in  the  following  article. 

62.  The  reason  why  the  angelic  heaven  is  an  image  of  what 
is  infinite  and  eternal,  is,  because  it  is  an  image  of  the  Lord, 
who  is  infinite  and  eternal.  The  image  of  his  infinitv  and  eter- 
nity  appears  in  this,  that  there  are  myriads  of  myriads  of  angels, 
of  which  heaven  consists  ;  that  they  constitute  as  many  societies 
as  there  are  general  affections  of  celestial  love,  and  that  each 
angel  in  everv  society  is  distinctly  his  own  affection  ;  that  from 
so  many  affections  in  general  and  in  particular  exists  the  form 
of  heaven,  which  is  as  one  before  the  Lord,  just  as  a  man  is  one  ; 
and  that  this  form  is  made  more  and  more  perfect  to  eternity, 
according  to  the  increase  of  members,  the  union  becoming  more 
perfect  in  proportion  as  more  enter  the  form  of  the  divine  love, 
which  is  the  form  of  forms.  From  these  considerations  it  is 
manifest,  that  an  image  of  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  is  appa¬ 
rent  in  the  angelic  heaven. 

68.  From  the  knowledge  of  heaven  afforded  by  this  short 
description,  it  is  evident,  that  affection,  which  is  of  the  love  of 
good,  constitutes  heaven  in  a  man :  but  who  knows  this  at  the 
present  day  ?  Who,  indeed,  knows  what  the  affection  of  the  love 
of  good  is,  or  that  the  affections  of  the  love  of  good  are  innume¬ 
rable,  and  even  infinite?  For,  as  before  observed,  every  angel 
is  distinctly  his  own  affection,  and  the  form  of  heaven  is  the 
form  of  all  the  affections  of  the  divine  love  there.  Ho  one  can 
unite  all  these  affections  into  that  form,  but  he  who  is  love  itself 
and  at  the  same  time  wisdom  itself,  and  at  once  infinite  and  eter¬ 
nal  ;  for  in  all  the  form  there  is  something  of  infinite  and  eternal ; 
it  is  infinite  in  its  conjunction,  and  eternal  in  its  perpetuity.  If 
what  is  infinite  and  eternal  were  taken  away  from  it,  it  would 
instantly  fall  in  pieces.  Who  else  can  unite  affections  into 
35 "  d 


03—  66 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


form, — who  else,  indeed,  can  unite  one  constituent  thereof  ?  for 
one  constituent  thereof  cannot  he  united  except  from  the  uni¬ 
versal  idea  of  all,  nor  the  universal  idea  of  all,  except  from  the 
particular  idea  of  each.  There  are  myriads  of  myriads  who 
compose  that  form,  and  there  are  myriads  who  enter  it  every 
year,  and  will  do  so  to  eternity.  All  infants  enter  it,  and  as 
many  adults  as  are  affections  of  the  love  of  good.  From  these 
considerations  again  may  be  seen  an  image  of  what  is  infinite 
and  eternal  in  the  angelic  heaven. 

64.  V.  That  to  respect  what  is  infinite  and  eternal  informing 
the  angelic  heaven ,  that  it  may  he  before  the  Lord  as  one  mam  the 
image  of  himself  ,  is  the  inmost  end  or  purpose  of  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence.  That  the  universal  heaven  is  as  one  man  before  the 
Lord,  and  in  like  manner  every  society  in  heaven  ;  that  in  con¬ 
sequence  every  angel  is  in  a  perfect  human  form,  and  that  this 
is  the  case  because  God  the  Creator,  who  is  the  Lord  from  eter¬ 
nity,  is  a  man,  may  be  seen  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell, 
n.  59 — 86.  Also,  that  hence  there  is  a  correspondence  of  all 
things  of  heaven  with  all  things  of  man,  n.  87 — 102.  That  the 
universal  heaven  is  as  one  man,  has  not  been  seen  bv  me,  be- 
cause  the  universal  heaven  cannot  be  seen  by  any  but  the  Lord 
only  ;  but  that  an  entire  society  of  heaven,  greater  or  less,  appears 
as  one  man,  lias  sometimes  been  seen  ;  and  then  it  was  told  me, 
that  the  greatest  society,  which  is  heaven  in  its  whole  complex, 
appears  in  like  manner,  but  before  the  Lord  only ;  and  that  this 
is  the  reason  why  every  angel  is  in  all  the  particulars  of  his  form 
a  man. 

65.  As  the  universal  heaven  is  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  as 
one  man,  therefore  heaven  is  distinguished  into  as  many  general 
societies  as  there  are  organs,  viscera,  and  members  in  a  man  ;  and 
each  general  society  into  as  many  less  general  or  particular  so¬ 
cieties  as  there  are  larger  parts  in  each  viscus  or  organ.  From 
this  it  is  evident  what  heaven  is.  How  as  the  Lord  is  perfect 
man,  and  heaven  is  the  image  of  him,  therefore  being  in  heaven 
is  called  being  in  the  Lord.  That  the  Lord  is  perfect  man 
may  be  seen  in  the  treatise  on  the  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  n.  11 — 13,  and  n.  285 — 289. 

66.  From  these  considerations,  this  arcanum,  which  may  be 
called  angelic,  can  in  some  measure  be  seen, — that  every  affec¬ 
tion  of  good,  and  at  the  same  time  of  truth,  in  its  form  is  a  man  ; 
for  whatever  proceeds  from  the  Lord,  derives  from  his  divine  love 
its  being  an  affection  of  good,  and  from  his  divine  wisdom  its 
being  an  affection  of  truth.  The  affection  of  truth,  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  from  the  Lord,  appears  as  perception,  and  thence  thought 
of  truth,  in  an  angel  and  a  man  ;  because  perception  and  thought 
are  attended  to,  while  the  affection  from  which  they  proceed  ia 
but  little  observed,  notwithstanding  it  proceeds  from  the  Lord 
with  the  affection  of  truth  as  one. 

36 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


67— 70 


67.  Now  as  a  man  bv  creation  is  a  heaven  in  its  least  form, 

i/  * 

and  thence  an  innate  of  the  Lord  ;  and  as  heaven  consists  of  as 

dv  j 

many  atfections  as  there  are  angels,  and  everv  affection  in  its 
form  is  a  man,  it  follows,  that  it  is  the  continual  design  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  should  be  made  a  heaven  in  form , 
and  thence  an  image  of  the  Lord  :  and  this,  being  done  by  the 
affection  of  good  and  truth,  that  a  man  should  be  made  that  af¬ 
fection.  But  although  this  is  the  continual  design  of  the  Divine 
Providence,  its  inmost  end  or  purpose  is,  that  a  man  should  be  in 
a  particular  society  in  heaven,  or  in  a  certain  part  in  the  divine 
celestial  man,  for  thus  he  is  in  the  Lord.  This  is  effected  with 
those  whom  the  Lord  can  lead  to  heaven ;  and  since  he  foresees 
this,  he  also  continually  provides  that  a  man  should  be  brought 
into  a  state  to  be  led  ;  for  every  one  who  suffers  himself  to  be 
led  to  heaven  is  prepared  for  his  place  in  heaven. 

68.  Heaven,  as  was  said  above,  is  divided  into  as  many 
societies  as  there  are  organs,  viscera,  and  members  in  a  man ;  and 
in  these,  no  one  part  can  have  any  other  place  than  it$  own  : 
since,  therefore,  angels  are  such  parts  in  the  divine  celestial 
man,  and  none  are  made  angels  but  such  as  have  been  men  in 
the  world,  it  follows,  that  the  man  who  suffers  himself  to  be  led 
to  heaven  is  continually  prepared  by  the  Lord  for  his  particular 
place,  which  is  done  by  such  an  affection  of  good  and  truth 
as  corresponds  to  it :  and  into  this  his  proper  place  every  man- 
angel  is  enrolled  after  his  departure  out  of  the  world.  This  is 
the  inmost  purpose  of  the  Divine  Providence  concerning  heaven. 

69.  But  the  man  who  does  not  suffer  himself  to  be  led  to 
and  enrolled  in  heaven,  is  prepared  for  his  place  in  hell  ;  for  a 
man  from  himself  continually  tends  to  the  lowest  hell,  but  is 
continually  withheld  by  the  Lord  ;  and  he  who  cannot  be  with¬ 
held  is  prepared  for  a  certain  place  there,  in  which  he  is  also 
enrolled  immediately  after  his  departure  out  of  the  world.  This 
place  is  opposite  to  a  certain  place  in  heaven,  for  hell  is  in  oppo¬ 
sition  to  heaven  ;  therefore,  as  a  man-angel,  according  to  the 
affection  of  good  and  truth,  has  his  place  assigned  him  in  heaven, 
so  a  man-devil  according  to  the  affection  of  evil  and  falsity,  has 
his  place  assigned  him  in  hell ;  for  two  opposites,  disposed  in  a 
similar  situation  against  each  other,  are  held  in  connection.  This 
is  the  inmost  purpose  of  the  Divine  Providence  concerning  helL 


THAT  THERE  ARE  LAWS  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  WHICH 

ARE  UNKNOWN  TO  MEN. 

70.  That  there  is  a  Divine  Providence,  is  known  ;  but  what 
the  nature  of  it  is,  is  not  known.  The  reason  why  the  nature  of 
the  Divine  Providence  is  not  known,  is,  that  its  laws  are  secret, 


70,  Ti 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


hitherto  hid  in  wisdom  among  the  angels.  But  they  are  now  to  he 
revealed,  in  order  that  what  belongs  to  the  Lord  may  be  ascribed 
to  him,  and  that  a  man  may  not  have  ascribed  to  him  that  which 
is  not  his  :  for  most  people  in  the  world  attribute  all  things  to 
themselves,  and  to  their  own  prudence  ;  or  what  they  cannot  so 
attribute,  they  call  accidents  and  contingencies ;  not  knowing  that 
human  prudence  is  nothing,  and  that  accidents  and  contingencies 
are  vain  words.  It  is  said  that  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence 
are  arcana,  hitherto  hid  in  wisdom  among  the  angels ;  the  reason 
of  which  is,  that  in  the  Christian  world  the  understanding  in 
things  divine  is  closed  by  religion,  and  it  is  thence  become  so 
dull  and  resisting  in  regard  to  such  subjects,  that  a  man  cannot, 
because  he  will  not,  or  will  not  because  he  cannot,  understand 
any  thing  more  of  the  Divine  Providence  than  merely  that  it 
exists,  or  to  reason  whether  it  does  exist  or  not,  and  likewise 
whether  it  is  universal  only,  or  also  particular.  The  under¬ 
standing,  closed  up  by  religion,  could  proceed  no  further  in 
things  divine.  But  as  it  is  acknowledged  in  the  church,  that  a 
man  cannot  from  himself  do  good  which  in  itself  is  really  good, 
or  from  himself  think  truth  which  in  itself  is  really  truth  ; 
and  these  are  one  with  the  Divine  Providence,  so  that  a  belief 
in  one  depends  upon  a  belief  in  the  other ;  therefore,  lest  one 
should  be  affirmed  and  the  other  denied,  and  so  both  fall  to  the 
ground,  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Providence  is  to  be  fully  re¬ 
vealed.  This  however  cannot  be  done,  unless  the  laws  be 
disclosed  by  which  the  Lord  provides  and  governs  what  relates 
to  the  will  and  understanding  of  man  :  for  these  laws  enable  a 
man  to  know  the  nature  and  quality  of  Providence,  and  he.  and 
only  he,  who  knows  its  nature  and  quality,  can  acknowledge  it, 
for  in  such  case  he  sees  it.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  laws  of 
the  Divine  Providence,  hitherto  hid  in  wisdom  among  the  angels, 
are  now  revealed. 


THAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DIVIDE  PROVIDENCE,  THAT  A  MAN 
SHOULD  ACT  FROM  LIBERTY  ACCORDING  TO  REASON. 

71.  That  a  man  has  the  liberty  of  thinking  and  willing  as  he 
pleases,  but  not  the  liberty  of  speaking  whatsoever  he  thinks, 
or  of  doing  whatsoever  he  wills,  is  well  known.  The  liberty, 
therefore,  which  is  here  understood,  is  spiritual,  and  not  natural 
liberty,  except  when  they  make  one  ;  for  to  think  and  to  will  is 
spiritual,  but  to  speak  and  to  act  is  natural.  They  are  also  ma¬ 
nifestly  distinguished  in  a  man  ;  for  he  can  think  what  he  does 
not  speak,  and  will  what  he  does  not  perform  ;  from  which  it  is 
evident,  that  what  is  spiritual  and  what  is  natural  in  him  are 
38 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


71—73 


distinguished  from  each  other,  so  that  he  cannot  pass  from  one 
to  the  other,  but  by  a  determination  to  do  so.  This  determi¬ 
nation  may  be  compared  to  a  door,  which  is  first  to  be  shut  and 
opened  ;  the  door  stands  as  it  were  open  in  those  who  think  and 
will  from  reason,  according  to  the  civil  laws  of  the  kingdom 
and  the  moral  laws  of  society,  for  they  speak  what  they  think, 
and  do  what  they  will ;  but  it  stands  as  it  were  shut  in  those 
who  think  and  will  contrary  to  those  laws.  He  who  attends  to 
what  he  wills  and  to  his  consequent  acts,  will  perceive  that  such 
a  determination  occurs,  sometimes  even  several  times  in  one 
discourse  and  in  one  action.  This  is  premised,  in  order  that  it 
may  be  known,  that  by  actum  from  liberty  according  to  reason, 
is  meant  to  think  and  will  freely,  and  thence  to  speak  and  do 
freely,  that  which  is  according  to  reason. 

72.  But  as  there  are  few  who  know,  that  this  can  be  a  law 
of  the  Divine  Providence,  on  this  account  especially,  that  a  man 
has  herebv  also  the  liberty  of  thinking  what  is  evil  and  false, 
and  yet  the  Divine  Providence  continually  leads  a  man  to  think 
and  will  what  is  good  and  true, — therefore,  for  the  clearer  per¬ 
ception  of  it,  we  shall  proceed  distinctly,  and  according  to  the 
following  order  :  I.  That  a  man  has  reason  and  free-will,  or  rati¬ 
onality  and  liberty ;  and  that  these  two  faculties  are  from  the  Lord 
in  him.  II.  That  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty,  whether  it 
be  of  reason  or  not,  provided  it  be  according  to  his  reason, 
appears  to  him  as  his  own  act.  III.  That  whatever  a  man 
does  from  liberty,  according  to  his  thought,  is  appropriated 
to  him  as  his  own,  and  remains.  IT.  That  a  man  by  these  two 
faculties  is  reformed  and  regenerated  of  the  Lord ;  and  that 
without  them  he  could  not  be  reformed  and  regenerated.  Y. 
lhat  a  man  by  means  of  these  two  faculties  can  be  reformed 
and  regenerated,  so  far  as  he  can  be  led  by  them  to  acknow¬ 
ledge,  that  all  the  truth  and  good  which  he  does  and  thinks  is 
from  the  Lord,  and  not  Irom  himself.  YI.  That  the  conjunction 
of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  and  the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  a  man 
with  the  Lord,  is  effected  by  these  two  faculties.  YH.  That 
the  Lord  preserves  these  two  faculties  in  a  man  inviolable,  and  as 
sacred,  in  every  proceeding  of  his  Divine  Providence.  YHI. 
That  therefore  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  should 
act  from  liberty  according  to  reason. 

73.  I.  That  a.  man  has  reason  and  free-will,  or  rationality  ancn 
liberty  /  and.  that  these  two  faculties  are  from  the  Lord  in  him. . 
That  a  man  has  the  faculty  of  understanding,  which  is  rationality, 
and  the  faculty  of  thinking,  willing,  speaking,  and  doing  that 
which  he  understands,  which  is  liberty ;  and  that  these  two 
faculties  are  from  the  Lord  in  him,  was  discussed  in  the  treatise 
on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  261 — 270, 
425 ;  and  also  above.  But  as  several  doubts  may  occur  re¬ 
specting  both  these  faculties,  when  they  are  thought  of,  I  am 

39  * 


73 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


desirous  in  this  preliminary  part  to  add  a  few  observations  con¬ 
cerning  the  liberty  of  acting  according  to  reason  in  a  man.  It  is 
first,  however,  to  be  observed,  that  all  liberty  is  of  love,  insomuch 
that  love  and  liberty  are  one ;  and  since  love  is  the  life  of  a  man, 
liberty  also  is  of  his  life  ;  for  every  delight  enjoyed  bv  a  man  is 
from  his  love,  no  delight  being  afforded  from  any  other  source  ; 
and  to  act  from  the  delight  of  love  is  to  act  from  liberty,  for 
delight  leads  a  man  as  a  river  does  that  which  is  borne  away  by 
its  stream.  How  as  there  are  several  kinds  of  love,  some  in 
agreement,  and  others  contrary,  it  follows,  that  in  like  manner 
there  are  several  kinds  of  liberty.  They  may  however  be  re- 
duced  in  general  to  three  kinds,- — natural,  rational,  and  spiritual. 
Every  man,  by  virtue  of  the  hereditary  principle  received  at  his 
birth,  has  natural  liberty  ;  under  the  influence  of  which  he 
loves  nothing  but  himself  and  the  world  :  his  first  life  is  nothing 
else ;  and  as  all  evils  exist  from  these  two  kinds  of  love,  and 
thence  also  become  objects  of  love,  it  follows,  that  to  think  and 
will  evils  is  his  natural  liberty ;  and  that  when  he  has  con¬ 
firmed  them  in  himself  bv  reasonings,  he  does  them  from  liberty 

c  C I?  /  u 

according  to  his  reason.  When  a  man  thus  acts  it  is  bv  virtue  ot 
the  faculty  called  liberty  ;  and  when  he  thus  confirms  evils,  it  is 
by  virtue  of  the  faculty  called  rationality.  For  example  :  it  is 
by  virtue  of  the  love  in  which  a  man  is  born,  that  he  has  the  will 
to  commit  adultery,  frauds,  blasphemy,  and  revenge  ;  and  when 
he  confirms  these  evils  in  himself,  and  thereby  makes  them 
lawful,  he  then,  from  the  delight  of  the  love  of  them,  thinks  and 
wills  them  freely  as  according  to  reason,  and,  so  far  as  civil  laws 
do  not  restrain,  speaks  of  and  does  them.  It  is  from  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord,  that  a  man  is  allowed  so  to  do,  because 
he  has  free-will  or  liberty.  A  man  is  in  this  liberty  by  nature, 
because  by  birth  ;  and  those  are  in  this  liberty  who  have  con¬ 
firmed  it  in  themselves  by  reasonings  from  the  delight  of  the 
love  of  self  and  of  the  world.  Rational  liberty  is  grounded 
in  the  love  of  fame  for  the  sake  of  honor  or  interest.  The 
delight  of  this  love  is  to  appear  externally  as  a  moral  character. 
As  a  man  loves  this  reputation,  he  does  not  defraud,  or  commit 
adultery,  or  indulge  in  a  spirit  of  revenge  or  blasphemy ;  and 
as,  by  his  reason,  he  confirms  himself  in  abstinence  from  such 
crimes,  he  also  from  liberty,  according  to  his  reason,  acts  sin 
cerely,  justly,  chastely,  and  friendly ;  indeed,  from  reason  he  cai 
speak  well  in  favor  of  such  virtues.  But  if  his  rational  faculty 
is  only  natural,  and  not  at  the  same  time  spiritual,  this  liberty 
is  only  external  and  not  internal  liberty,  for  nevertheless  he  does 
not  interiorly  love  those  virtues,  but  only  exteriorly,  as  before 
remarked,  for  the  sake  of  reputation ;  and  therefore  the  good 
actions  which  he  does  are  in  themselves  not  good.  He  can  say 
also,  that  they  ought  to  be  done  for  the  sake  of  the  public  good  ; 
but  this  he  does  not  say  from  any  love  of  the  public  good,  bu* 
10 


THE  DIVLNE  PROVIDENCE. 


73,  74 


from  the  love  of  his  own  honor  or  interest ;  consequently,  his 
liberty  derives  nothing  from  the  love  of  the  public  good,  neither 
does  his  reason,  for  it  complies  with  his  love.  This  rational 
liberty  therefore  is  interior  natural  liberty  ;  and,  from  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord,  this  liberty  also  is  left  to  every  one. 
Spiritual  liberty  is  grounded  in  the  love  of  eternal  life.  Into 
this  love  and  its  delight  no  one  comes,  but  he  who  thinks  that 
evils  are  sins,  therefore  does  not  will  them,  and  at  the  same  time 
looks  to  the  Lord.  As  soon  as  a  man  does  this,  he  is  in  that 
liberty ;  for  no  one  has  power  not  to  will  evils  because  they  are 
sins,  and  therefore  not  to  do  them,  but  from  an  interior  or 
superior  liberty,  which  is  from  his  interior  or  superior  love. 
This  liberty  does  not  at  first  appear  as  liberty,  but  yet  it  is  so  ; 
and  afterwards  it  appears  to  be  so,  when  a  man  acts  from  real 
liberty  according  to  real  reason,  by  thinking,  willing,  speaking, 
and  doing  what  is  good  and  true.  This  liberty  increases,  as 
natural  liberty  decreases  and  becomes  subservient ;  and  it  joins 
itself  with  rational  liberty,  which  it  purifies.  Every  one  may 
come  into  spiritual  liberty,  provided  he  be  willing  to  think  that 
there  is  an  eternal  life,  and  that  the  delight  and  blessedness  of 
life  in  time  for  a  time,  is  only  as  a  transient  shadow,  compared 
with  the  delight  and  blessedness  of  life  in  eternity  to  eternity  ; 
and  this  a  man  may  think  if  he  chooses,  because  he  possesses 
rationality  and  liberty,  and  because  the  Lord,  from  whom  these 
two  faculties  are  derived,  continually  gives  him  the  power. 

74.  II.  That  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty ,  whether  it  be 
of.  reason  or  not, provided  it  be  according  to  his  reason ,  appears  to 
him  as  his  own  act.  What  the  rationality  is,  and  what  the  liberty, 
which  are  proper  to  a  man,  cannot  be  known  more  clearly,  than 
by  a  comparison  of  men  with  beasts  ;  for  the  latter  have  not  any 
rationality  or  faculty  of  understanding,  or  any  liberty  or  faculty 
of  willing  freely,  and  thence  have  no  understanding  and  will ; 
but  instead  of  understanding  they  have  science,  and  instead  of 
will,  affection,  both  of  which  are  natural :  and  as  they  have  not 
those  two  faculties,  therefore  they  have  no  thought,  but  instead 
of  thought  internal  sight,  which  makes  one  with  their  external 
sight  by  correspondence.  Every  affection  has  its  companion  as 
a  consort ;  the  affection  of  natural  love  having  science,  the 
affection  of  spiritual  love,  intelligence,  and  the  affection  of  ce¬ 
lestial  love,  wisdom.  For  affection  without  its  companion,  or 
what  may  be  called  its  connubial  partner,  is  nothing ;  for  it  is 
like  esse  without  existere ,  or  like  a  substance  without  a  form, 
of  which  nothing  can  be  predicated.  Hence  it  is,  that  in  every 
created  thing  there  is  something  which  may  be  referred  to  the 
marriage  of  good  and  truth,  as  was  abundantly  shown  above. 
In  beasts  there  is  a  marriage  of  affection  and  science ;  the  affec- 
tion  being  that  of  natural  good,  and  tl  e  science  that  of  natural 
truth.  Kow  as  affection  and  science  in  beasts  act  entirely  as 


74,  75 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


one,  and  tlieir  affection  cannot  be  elevated  above  tbei  science, 
nor  their  science  above  their  affection,  and  if  they  are  elevated, 
they  are  elevated  both  together  ;  and  as  they  have  no  spiritual 
mind,  to  which  or  into  the  light  and  heat  of  which  they  can  be 
elevated  ;  therefore  they  have  not  the  faculty  of  understanding 
or  rationality,  or  the  faculty  of  free-will  or  liberty,  but  only 
mere  natural  affection,  with  its  science.  Their  natural  affection 
is  that  of  feeding  themselves,  of  providing  a  habitation,  of  pro¬ 
pagating  their  kind,  and  of  shunning  and  flying  from  harm, 
with  all  the  requisite  science  or  knowledge  ;  and  such  being 
their  state  of  life,  they  cannot  think  within  themselves,  “  I  will 
do  this,  and  will  not  do  that,”  or,  “  I  know,  or  do  not  know, 
such  a  thing,”  still  less,  “  I  understand  such  a  thing,  or  I  love 
such  a  thing ;”  but  they  are  carried  away  of  their  particular 
affection  by  science,  without  rationality  and  liberty.  The  cause 
of  their  being  so  carried  away  is  not  from  the  natural,  but  from 
the  spiritual  world ;  for  nothing  exists  in  the  natural  world  un¬ 
connected  with  the  spiritual  world,  from  which  is  every  cause 
producing  an  effect.  Something  on  this  subject  may  be  also 
seen  below,  n.  96. 

75.  It  is  otherwise  with  a  man,  who  has  not  only  the  affec¬ 
tion  of  natural  love,  but  also  the  affection  of  spiritual  love,  ami 
that  of  celestial  love ;  for  the  human  mind  consists  of  three 
degrees,  as  was  shown  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  Part  III. :  a  man  can  therefore 
be  elevated  from  natural  science  into  spiritual  intelligence,  and 
thence  into  celestial  wisdom  :  and  from  intelligence  and  wisdom 
he  can  look  up  to  the  Lord,  and  thus  be  joined  unto  him, 
whereby  lie  lives  to  eternity.  But  this  elevation  as  to  affection 
would  not  be  possible,  if  he  had  not  the  faculty  of  elevating  his 
understanding  from  rationality,  and  that  of  willing  to  do  so 
from  liberty.  A  man  by  these  two  faculties  can  think  within 
himself  concerning  the  things  which  with  his  bodily  senses  he 
perceives  wdthout  himself,  and  can  also  think  in  a  superior 
sphere  concerning  the  things  wdiich  he  thinks  of  in  an  inferior 
sphere  :  for  every  one  can  say,  “  I  thought  this,”  or  “  I  think 
this,”  also,  “  I  willed  this,  and  1  will  this,”  and  likewise,  “  I  un¬ 
derstand  this  that  it  is  so,  I  love  this  because  it  is  such,”  and  so 
on.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  a  man  thinks  as  it  wrere  above  his 
thought,  which  he  sees  as  if  it  were  below  him.  This  power  he 
derives  from  rationality  and  liberty, — from  rationality  in  respect 
that  he  can  think  in  a  superior  sphere,  and  from  liberty  in 
respect  that  from  affection  he  wills  so  to  think  ;  for  if  he  had  not 
the  liberty  of  so  thinking,  he  wrould  not  have  the  will,  or  con¬ 
sequently  the  thought.  Wherefore  those  who  will  not  under¬ 
stand  any  thing  but  wdiat  is  of  the  wTorld  and  its  nature,  or 
what  is  moral  and  spiritual  good  and  truth,  cannot  be  elevated 
from  knowledge  or  science  into  intelligence,  and  still  less  into 
42 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE- 


< o — 7  i 


wisdom  ;  for  they  have  obstructed  those  faculties  ;  and  therefore 
they  cause  themselves  to  be  men  in  no  other  respect  than  that 
from  their  inherent  rationality  and  libertv  they  can  understand 
if  they  will,  and  also  that  they  have  the  power  to  will.  From 
these  two  faculties  a  man  has  the  power  to  think,  and  from 
thought  to  speak  ;  in  other  faculties  men  are  but  beasts,  and 
often  indeed  from  the  abuse  of  these  faculties  become  worse 
than  beasts. 

76.  Every  one  from  rationality  not  obscured  may  see  or 

d  d  d 

comprehend  that  a  man,  without  an  appearance  that  it  is  his  own, 
cannot  be  in  any  affection  of  knowing,  or  in  any  affection  of 
understanding  ;  for  all  delight  and  pleasure,  therefore  every 
thing  of  the  will,  is  from  the  affection  which  is  of  love.  Who 
can  will  to  know  and  will  to  understand,  unless  he  has  some 
pleasure  of  affection  ?  And  who  can  have  the  pleasure  of 
affection,  unless  that  by  which  he  is  affected  appears  as  his 
own  ?  If  it  were  none  of  his,  but  all  of  another’s,  that  is,  if  a 
person  from  his  own  affections  should  infuse  any  thing  into  the 
mind  of  another,  who  had  no  affections  of  knowing  and  under¬ 
standing  as  from  himself,  would  the  other  receive  it  ?  would  he 
indeed  be  able  to  receive  it  ?  would  he  not  be  as  that  which  is 
called  brute,  or  as  a  stock  ?  Hence  it  may  plainly  appear,  that 
although  every  thing  which  a  man  perceives  and  thence  thinks 
and  knows,  and  according  to  perception  wills  and  does,  enters 
by  influx,  still  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  that  it 
should  appear  as  the  man’s  ;  for  otherwise,  as  before  observed,  he 
would  receive  nothing,  therefore  could  not  be  gifted  with  any 
intelligence  and  wisdom.  It  is  well  known,  that  no  good  and 
truth  is  a  man’s,  but  all  the  Lord’s,  and  yet  that  it  appears  to  a 
man  as  his  own  ;  and  as  all  good  and  truth  so  appears,  therefore 
all  things  also  of  the  church  and  of  heaven,  consequently  all 
things  of  love  and  wisdom,  and  of  charity  and  faith,  so  appear  ; 
and  yet  none  of  them  is  his.  Ho  one  can  receive  them  from 
the  Lord,  unless  it  appears  to  him  that  he  perceives  them  as 
from  himself.  From  these  considerations  this  truth  may  be 

tj 

manifest,  that  whatsoever  a  man  does  from  liberty,  whether  it 
be  of  reason  or  not  of  reason,  provided  it  be  according  to  his 
reason,  appears  to  him  as  his  own. 

77.  Who  is  not  able  to  understand,  by  virtue  of  the  faculty 
which  is  called  rationality,  that  this  or  that  good  is  useful  to  the 
community,  and  that  this  or  that  evil  is  noxious  to  the  commu- 
mty ;  as  that  justice,  sincerity,  and  conjugal  chastity,  are 
beneficial  to  the  community,  and  that  injustice,  insincerity,  and 
whoredom  committed  with  the  wives  of  others,  are  injurious  to 
the  community  ;  consequently  that  these  evils  are  in  themselves 
mischievous,  and  that  those  various  kinds  of  good  are  in  them¬ 
selves  beneficial  ?  Who  therefore,  if  he  be  so  disposed,  cannot 
make  those  species  of  goo^  and  evil  the  good  and  evil  of  his 

43 


77,  78 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


reason,  since  lie  has  both  rationality  and  liberty  ?  His  ration¬ 
ality  and  liberty  also  disclose  themselves,  appear,  govern,  and 
enable  him  to  perceive  and  to  have  power,  in  proportion  as,  for 
the  above  reasons,  he  shuns  those  evils  in  himself;  and  in  the 
same  proportion  as  he  does  this,  he  respects  those  kinds  of  good, 
as  a  friend  does  his  friends.  From  these  circumstances  it  is  in 
a  man’s  power  afterwards,  by  virtue  of  the  faculty  which  is  called 
rationality,  to  form  conclusions  respecting  the  various  kinds  ol 
good  which  are  useful  to  the  community  in  the  spiritual  world, 
and  respecting  the  various  kinds  of  evil  which  are  noxious  there, 
provided  that  he  perceives  the  different  kinds  of  evils  to  be  sins, 
and  considers  the  different  kinds  of  good  to  be  works  of  charity. 
These  conclusions,  also,  a  man  may  make  the  conclusions  of 
his  reason,  if  he  chooses,  because  he  has  rationality  and  liberty ; 
and  his  rationality  and  liberty  disclose  themselves,  appear, 
govern,  and  enable  him  to  perceive  and  to  possess  power,  in 
proportion  as  he  shuns  those  evils  as  sins  ;  and  in  proportion  as 
he  does  this,  he  respects  the  good  as  charity,  as  one  neighbour 
respects  another  mutually  from  love.  How  as  the  Lord,  for  the 
sake  of  reception  and  conjunction,  wills,  that  whatsoever  a  man 
does  freely  according  to  reason  may  appear  to  him  as  his  own, 
and  this  is  according  to  reason  itself,  it  follows,  that  a  man  can, 
by  virtue  of  reason,  because  it  is  for  his  eternal  felicity,  be  will¬ 
ing  to  shun  the  above  evils  as  sins,  and,  by  imploring  the  divir  e , 
power  of  the  Lord,  can  effect  what  he  wills. 

78.  III.  That  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty  according  to 
his  thought ,  is  appropriated  to  him  as  his  own ,  and  remains.  The 
reason  is,  because  the proprium  of  a  man  and  his  liberty  make 
one.  The  proprium  of  a  man  is  of  his  life,  and  what  he  does 
from  his  life,  he  does  from  liberty.  Moreover,  the  proprium  of 
a  man  is  that  which  is  of  his  love :  for  love  is  the  life  of  every 
one,  and  what  a  man  does  from  his  life’s  love,  he  does  from 
liberty.  The  reason  why  a  man  acts  from  liberty  according  to 
his  thought  is,  that  whatever  is  of  the  life  or  of  the  love  of  any 
one,  is  also  the  object  of  thought,  and  is  by  thought  confirmed, 
and  when  it  is  confirmed,  then  he  does  it  from  liberty  according 
to  his  thought.  For  whatsoever  a  man  does,  he  does  from  the 
will  by  the  understanding ;  and  liberty  is  of  the  will,  and 
thought  is  of  the  understanding.  A  man  can  also  act  from  liberty 
contrary  to  reason  ;  and  again,  not  from  liberty  according  to 
reason  ;  but  such  acts  are  not  appropriated  to  him,  being  only 
the  acts  of  his  lips  and  of  his  body,  and  not  of  his  spirit  and  of 
his  heart ;  yet  the  acts  which  are  of  his  spirit  and  of  his  heart, 
when  they  are  also  made  the  acts  of  his  lips  and  of  his  body,  are 
appropriated  to  him  :  that  this  is  the  case  might  be  illustrated 
by  many  considerations,  but  this  is  not  the  proper  place  for  it. 
By  being  appropriate!  to  a  man  is  meant  to  enter  into  his  life, 
and  to  be  made  of  his  ife,  consequently  to  be  made  h  is  proprium 
44 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


78,  79 


That  a  man,  however,  has  not  any  thing  which  is  prc  per  to  himself, 
but  that  it  appears  to  him  as  if  it  were  so,  will  he  seen  in  what 
follows.  We  shall  here  only  observe,  that  all  the  good  which  a 
man  does  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  is  appropriated  to 
him  as  his  own,  because,  in  thinking,  willing,  speaking,  and 
acting,  it  appears  to  him  as  his  own ;  nevertheless,  good  is 
not  of  a  man,  but  is  of  the  Lord  in  him,  as  may  be  seen  above, 
n.  7 6.  But  how  evil  is  appropriated  to  a  man  will  be  seen  in  its 
proper  article. 

79.  It  is  also  said,  that  whatever  a  man  does  from  liberty 
according  to  his  reason  remains  ;  for  no  one  thing  which  a  man 
has  approjmiated  to  himself  can  be  eradicated,  because  it  is 
made  an  object  of  his  love  and  at  the  same  time  of  his  reason, 
or  of  his  will  and  at  the  same  time  of  his  understanding,  and 
thence  of  his  life.  It  may  be  removed  indeed,  but  not  cast 
out ;  and  when  it  is  removed,  it  is  transferred  as  it  were  from 
the  centre  to  the  circumference,  and  there  abides.  This  is 
meant  by  its  remaining.  For  example  :  if  a  man  in  his  child¬ 
hood  and  youth  has  appropriated  to  himself  a  certain  evil  by 
doing  it  from  the  delight  of  his  love, — as,  if  he  has  defrauded, 
blasphemed,  revenged,  committed  whoredom, — then  as  he  has 
done  these  things  from  liberty  according  to  his  thought,  he  has 
also  appropriated  them  to  himself ;  but  if  he  afterwards  repents, 
shuns  them,  and  considers  them  as  sins  which  are  to  be  abhorred, 
and  thus  from  liberty  according  to  reason  desists  from  them, 
then  there  are  appropriated  to  him  the  good  principles  to  which 
those  evils  are  opposite.  These  good  principles  then  consti¬ 
tute  the  centre,  and  remove  the  evils  towards  the  circumfer¬ 
ence  further  and  further  according  to  his  aversion  and  abhor¬ 
rence  of  them  ;  but  still  they  cannot  be  so  cast  out  as  to  be  said 
to  be  extirpated,  although  by  such  removal  they  may  appear 
as  if  extirpated  ;  which  is  effected  by  a  man’s  being  detained 
from  evil  and  held  in  good  by  the  Lord.  This  is  the  case  witli 
respect  to  all  hereditary  evil,  and  at  the  same  time  all  actual 
evil  of  a  man.  I  have  also  seen  it  proved  by  experience  witli 
some  in  heaven,  who,  because  they  were  kept  in  good  by  the 
Lord,  thought  themselves  to  be  without  evils  ;  but  to  prevent 
their  thinking  that  the  good  in  which  they  were  was  their  own, 
they  were  let  down  from  heaven  a»d  into  their  evils,  till  they 
acknowledged  that  they  were  in  evils  from  themselves,  but  in 
good  from  the  Lord ;  after  which  acknowledgment  they  were 
carried  back  into  heaven.  Let  it  be  known  therefore,  that 
these  good  principles  are  no  otherwise  appropriated  to  a  man, 
than  as  they  are  constantly  of  the  Lord  in  him  ;  and  that  in 
proportion  as  a  man  acknowledges  this,  the  Lord  grants  that 
good  may  appear  to  him  as  his  own,  that  is,  that  a  man  may 
appear  to  himself  to  love  his  neighbour  or  to  have  charily  as 
from  himself,  to  believe  or  to  have  faith  as  from  himself,  to  do 
45 


79—82 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


pood  and  to  understand  truth,  and  therefore  to  he  wise  as  from 
nimself ;  from  which  considerations  every  enlightened  person 
may  see,  what  and  how  strong  is  the  appearance  in  which  the 
Lord  wills  that  a  man  should  he  ;  and  the  Lord  wills  this  for  the 
sake  of  his  salvation,  for  no  one  without  that  appearance  can 
he  saved.  On  this  subject,  see  also  what  is  shown  above,  n. 
42—45. 

80.  ^Nothing  is  appropriated  to  a  man  which  he  only  thinks, 
nor  yet  that  which  he  thinks  to  will,  except  he  at  the  same  time 
wills  it  to  such  a  degree,  that  when  opportunity  is  given  he 
does  it ;  and  the  reason  is,  that  when  a  man  does  it  from  this 
ground,  he  does  it  from  the  will  by  the  understanding,  or  from 
tne  affection  of  the  will  by  the  thought  of  the  understanding. 
So  long,  however,  as  anything  is  an  object  of  the  thought  only, 
it  cannot  be  appropriated,  because  the  understanding  does  not 
join  itself  with  the  will,  nor  the  thought  of  the  understanding 
with  the  affection  of  the  will ;  but  the  will  and  its  affection  join 
themselves  with  the  understanding  and  its  thought,  as  is  shown 
abundantly  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  Part  the  Fifth.  This  is  meant  by  these  words 
of  the  Lord  :  u  Yot  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth  defileth 
a  man,  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the  heart  through  the 
mouth,  that  defileth  a  maif’  (Matt.  xv.  11,  17,  18,  19).  By 
the  mouth  in  a  spiritual  sense  is  meant  the  thought,  because  - 
the  thought  speaks  by  the  mouth  ;  and  by  the  heart  in  that 
sense  is  meant  the  affection  which  is  of  love.  If  a  man  thinks 
and  speaks  from  this  affection,  then  he  defiles  himself.  By  the 
heart  also  is  signified  the  affection  which  is  of  love  or  of  will, 
aid  by  the  mouth,  the  thought  which  is  of  the  understanding, 
in  Luke  vi.  45. 

81.  The  evils  which  a  man  thinks  allowable,  although  he 
does  them  not,  are  also  appropriated  to  him  ;  allowableness  in 
thought  being  from  the  will,  for  it  is  consent ;  therefore,  when  a 
man  thinks  any  evil  allowable,  he  loosens  the  internal  restraint, 
respecting  it,  and  is  kept  from  doing  it  only  by  external 
restraints,  which  are  fears  ;  and  because  the  spirit  of  the  man 
favours  such  evil,  therefore,  when  external  restraints  are  re¬ 
moved,  he  does  it  freely  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  continually  does 
it  in  his  spirit.  But  on  this  subject  see  The  Doctrine  of 
Life  for  the  Yew  Jerusalem,  n.  108 — 113. 

82.  IY.  That  a  man  by  these  two  faculties  is  reformed  emd 
regenerated  by  the  Lord  /  and  that  without  them  he  coidd  not  be 
reformed  and  regenerated.  The  Lord  teaches  that  unless  a  man 
be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God,  John  iii.  3, 

5,  7  ;  but  what  it  is  to  be  born  again,  or  to  be  regenerate,  is 
known  to  few.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  it  has  not  been 
known  what  love  and  charity  are,  nor  therefore  what  faith  is ; 
for  he  who  does  not  know  what  love  and  charity  are,  cannot 

46 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


82,  S3 

know  what  faith  is  ;  because  charity  and  faith  make  one,  like 
good  and  truth,  and  like  affection  which  is  of  the  will  and 
thought  which  is  of  the  understanding  ;  concerning  which  union, 
see  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wis¬ 
dom,  n.  427 — 431,  and  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jeru¬ 
salem,  n.  13 — 24  ;  also  see  above,  n.  3 — 20. 

S3.  The  reason  why  no  man  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  unless  he  be  born  again,  is,  that  a  man  hereditarilv  from  his 
parents  is  born  into  evils  of  every  kind,  with  the  faculty  of  being 
made  spiritual  by  the  removal  of  those  evils  ;  and  unless  he  be 
made  spiritual,  he  cannot  enter  into  heaven.  To  be  made 
spiritual  from  natural,  is  to  be  born  again,  or  to  be  regenerated. 
But  in  order  that  it  may  be  known  how  a  man  is  regenerated, 
these  three  things  are  to  be  considered  :  what  his  first  state  is, 
which  is  a  state  of  damnation ;  what  his  second  state  is,  which 
is  a  state  of  reformation  ;  and  what  his  third  state  is,  which  is  a 
state  of  regeneration.  The  first  state  of  a  man ,  wh  ich  is  a  state  of 
damnation ,  every  man  has  hereditarily  from  his  parents,  for  he  is 
thence  born  into  the  love  of  self  and  the  love  of  the  world,  and 
into  evils  of  every  description  from  these  two  kinds  of  love  ss 
fountains.  The  delights  of  these  kinds  of  love  are  the  delights 
by  which  he  is  led,  and  these  delights  prevent  him  from  knowing 
that  he  is  in  evils  ;  for  every  delight  of  love  is  felt  no  otherwk  e 
than  as  good  ;  and  therefore  also  a  man,  unless  he  is  regenerated, 
knows  no  other  than  that  to  love  himself  and  the  world  above 
all  things  is  essential  good,  and  that  to  domineer  over  all,  and 
possess  the  wealth  of  all  others,  is  the  supreme  good.  This  is 
the  source  of  all  evil ;  for  he  regards  no  other  person  from  a 
principle  of  love  but  himself  alone;  or  if  he  regards  another 
from  a  principle  of  love,  it  is  as  one  devil  regards  another,  or 
as  one  thief  another,  when  they  act  as  one.  Those  who  confirm 
in  themselves  these  kinds  of  love,  and  the  evils  flowing  from 
them,  from  the  delight  thereof,  remain  natural  and  become 
sensual-corporeal ;  and  in  their  own  thought,  which  is  that  of 
their  spirit,  they  are  insane ;  but  still,  while  they  are  in  the 
world,  they  can  speak  and  act  rationally  and  wisely,  being  as 
men  possessed  of  rationality  and  liberty  ;  yet  this  also  they  do 
from  a  love  of  self  and  of  the  world.  Such  men  after  death, 
when  they  become  spirits,  cannot  have  any  other  delight  than 
what  they  had  in  their  spirits  in  the  world,  and  that  is  the  delight 
of  infernal  love,  which  is  turned  into  what  is  unpleasant,  dolor¬ 
ous,  and  direful,  signified  in  the  Word  by  torment  and  hell-fire. 
Hence  it  is  evident  that  the  first  state  of  a  man  is  a  state  of 
damnation  ;  and  that  those  are  in  it  who  do  not  suffer  themselves 
to  be  regenerated.  The  second  state  of  a  man ,  which  is  a  state  of 
reformation ,  is,  when  a  man  begins  to  think  of  heaven  from  the 

ioy  that  is  therein,  and  thus  to  think  of  God,  from  whom  he 
las  the  joy  of  heaven.  At  first,  however,  he  thinks  thus  from 
47 


83,  85 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


the  delight  of  the  love  of  self,  heavenly  joy  being  to  him  that 
delight;  and  so  long  as  the  delight  of  that' love  reigns,  together 
with  the  delights  of  the  evils  flowing  therefrom,  he  cannot 
understand  otherwise  than  that  to  go  to  heaven  is  to  pour  out 
prayers,  to  hear  preachings,  to  receive  the  Lord’s  supper,  to 
give  to  the  poor,  to  help  the  needy,  to  endow  churches  and 
hospitals,  and  such  like  things.  Nor  does  a  man  in  this  state 
know  otherwise  than  that  barely  to  think  the  tilings  that  religion 
teaches  effects  salvation,  whether  it  be  that  which  is  called  faith, 
or  that  which  is  called  faith  and  charity.  The  reason  why  he 
understands  no  other  than  that  to  think  these  things  effects 
salvation,  is,  because  he  thinks  nothing  of  the  evils  in  the 
delights  of  which  he  is,  and  so  long  as  their  delights  remain, 
the  evils  also  remain  ;  for  their  delights  arise  from  the  concu¬ 
piscence  of  them,  which  continually  inspires  them  and  also 
produces  them,  when  no  fear  operates  to  prevent  it.  So  long 
as  evils  remain  in  the  concupiscences,  and  thence  in  the  delights 
of  the  love  of  them,  there  is  neither  any  faith,  charity,  piety, 
nor  worship,  except  only  in  externals,  which  appear  before  the 
world  as  if  they  were  real,  but  yet  are  not.  They  may  therefore 
be  compared  to  waters  flowing  from  an  impure  fountain,  which 
cannot  be  drunk.  So  long  as  a  man  is  such  that  he  thinks  ot 
heaven  and  of  God  from  religion,  and  nothing  of  evils  as  sins, 
he  is  still  in  his  first  state :  but  he  comes  into  the  second,  or 
state  of  reformation,  wflien  he  begins  to  think  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  sin,  and  still  more  when  he  thinks  that  this  or  that 
is  a  sin,  and  when  he  explores  it  a  little  in  himself,  and  does  not 
will  it.  The  third  state  of  a  man ,  which  is  a  state  of  regeneration . 
takes  up  and  continues  the  prior  state ;  it  begins  when  a  man 
desists  from  evils  as  sins,  proceeds  as  he  shuns  them,  and  is 
perfected  as  he  fights  against  them  ;  and  then  as  he  overcomes 
from  the  Lord  he  is  regenerated.  With  the  regenerate  man  the 
order  of  life  is  changed,  and  from  natural  he  is  made  spiritual ; 
for  the  natural  principle  separate  from  the  spiritual  is  contrary 
to  order,  and  the  spiritual  principle  is  according  to  order ;  there¬ 
fore  a  regenerate  man  acts  from  charity,  and  makes  what  belong? 
to  his  faith  conformable  to  his  charity.  But  still  he  is  only 
made  spiritual  in  proportion  as  he  is  in  truths  ;  because  every 
man  is  regenerated  by  truths,  and  a  life  according  to  them ;  for 
by  truths  he  knows  life,  and  by  life  he  performs  truths :  he  thus 
conjoins  goodness  and  truth,  which  is  the  spiritual  marriage,  in 
which  is  heaven. 

85.  The  reason  wThy  a  man  is  reformed  and  regenerated  by 
those  two  faculties  which  are  called  rationality  and  liberty,  and 
that  without  them  he  cannot  be  reformed  and  regenerated,  is, 
because  by  rationality  he  can  understand  and  know  wfliat  is 
evil  and  what  is  good,  and  thence  what  is  false  and  what  is 
true  ;  and  by  liberty  he  can  will  that  which  he  understands  and 
48 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


85 - S' 


knows.  But  so  long  as  the  delight  of  the  love  of  evil  reigns,  he 
cannot  freely  will  what  is  good  and  true,  and  make  them  prin¬ 
ciples  of  his  reason,  therefore  he  cannot  appropriate  them  to 
himself;  for,  as  was  shown  above,  the  things  which  a  man 
does  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  are  appropriated  to  him 
as  his  own,  and  unless  they  are  appropriated  as  his  own,  he 
is  not  reformed  and  regenerated.  Then  also  he  first  acts  from 
the  delight  of  the  love  of  goodness  and  truth,  when  the  delight 
cf  the  love  of  evil  and  false  is  removed  ;  for  two  kinds  of  delight 
of  love  which  are  opposite  to  each  other  cannot  exist  at  the  same 
time.  To  act  from  the  delight  of  love,  is  to  act  from  liberty ; 
and  when  reason  favors  the  love,  it  is  also  to  act  according  to 
reason. 

86.  Since  a  man,  as  well  he  who  is  wicked  as  he  who  is  good, 
nas  rationality  and  libertv,  so  a  wicked  as  well  as  a  good  man 
can  understand  truth  and. do  good:  but  a  wicked  man  cannot 
do  so  from  libertv  according  to  reason,  whereas  a  good  man 
can;  because  a  wicked  man  is  in  the  delight  of  the  love  of  evil, 
and  a  good  man  is  in  the  delight  of  the  love  of  good.  The 
truth  therefore  which  a  wicked  man  understands,  and  the  good 
which  he  does,  are  not  appropriated  to  him  ;  but  they  are 
appropriated  to  a  good  man ;  and  without  appropriation  as  his 
own,  reformation  and  regeneration  do  not  take  place.  For 
evils  with  falsities  are  with  the  wicked  as  it  were  in  the  centre, 
and  good  principles  with  truths  in  the  circumference ;  but  good 
principles  with  truths  are  in  the  centre  with  the  good,  and  evils 
with  falsities  in  the  circumference ;  and  in  both  cases  the  things 
which  are  of  the  centre  diffuse  themselves  to  the  circumference, 
as  heat  from  fire  in  the  centre,  and  cold  from  ice  in  the  centre. 
Thus  good  in  the  circumference  with  the  wicked  is  defiled  by  the 
evils  of  the  centre,  and  evils  in  the  circumference  with  the  good 

'  i  o 

are  rendered  mild  by  the  good  principles  of  the  centre  ;  and 
this  is  the  reason  whv  evils  do  not  condemn  a  regenerate  man, 
and  good  actions  do  not  save  an  unregenerate  man. 

C  Co 

Si.  \  .  That  a  maris  hi/  means  of  those  two  faculties ,  can  he 
reformed  and  regenerated  so  far  as  he  can  he  led  hy  them  to 
acknowledges  that  all  the  truth  and  good  which  he  thinks  and  does 
is  from  the  Lords  and  not  from  himself.  What  reformation 

t  j  t  t/ 

and  regeneration  are,  was  stated  above ;  and  also  that  a  man, 
bv  the  two  faculties  of  rationality  and  liberty,  is  reformed  and 

V  to’/ 

regenerated :  and  as  this  is  effected  bv  those  faculties,  it  may 
be  expedient  to  say  something  more  concerning  them.  A  man  by 
virtue  of  rationality  has  power  to  understand,  and  by  virtue  of 
liberty  has  power  to  will,  both  as  from  himself;  but  the  power 
of  willing  good  from  libertv,  and  thence  of  doing  it  according 
to  reason,  no  one  has  but  the  regenerate.  A  wicked  man  can 
will  onlv  evil  from  libertv,  and  do  it  according  to  his  thought, 
which  by  confirmations  he  makes  as  it  were  of  reason  :  for  evil 

49 


87— 89 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


can  be  confirmed  as  well  as  good,  but  it  is  by  fallacies  and  ap¬ 
pearances,  which,  when  they  are  confirmed,  become  falsities  ; 
and  when  evil  is  confirmed,  it  appears  as  of  reason. 

88.  Every  one,  who  has  any  thought  from  interior  under¬ 
standing,  may  see,  that  the  power  of  willing  and  of  under¬ 
standing  is  not  from  a  man,  but  from  Him  who  has  power  itself, 
that  is,  who  has  power  in  its  essence.  Consider  only,  whence 
is  power  ?  Is  it  not  from  him  who  has  it  in  its  essential  ground  ; 
that  is,  who  has  it  in  himself,  and  consequently  from  himself? 
Power  therefore  in  itself  is  divine.  To  all  power  there  will  be 
leave,  which  is  to  be  given,  and  thus  a  determination  from  what 
is  interior  or  superior  to  self.  The  eye  cannot  see  from  itself, 
nor  the  ear  hear  from  itself,  neither  can  the  mouth  speak  from 
itself,  nor  the  hands  act  from  themselves  ;  there  must  be  leave 
given,  and  thence  determination  from  the  mind.  Nor  can  the 
mind  think  and  will  this  or  that  from  itself,  unless  there  be 
something  interior  or  superior  by  which  it  is  determined  to  it. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  power  of  understanding  and  the  power 
of  willing ;  these  cannot  be  given  by  any  other  than  by  Him 
who  in  and  of  himself  is  able  to  will  and  to  understand.  From 
such  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  those  two  faculties,  which 
are  called  rationality  and  liberty,  are  from  the  Lord,  and  not 
from  a  man  ;  and  as  they  are  from  the  Lord,  it  follows,  that  a 
man  wills  nothing  from  himself,  and  understands  nothing  from 
himself,  but  only  as  if  it  were  from  himself.  That  this  is  the 
case,  every  one  may  confirm  in  himself,  who  knows  and  believes 
that  the  willing  of  all  good,  and  the  understanding  of  all  truth, 
is  from  the  Lord,  and  not  from  man.  That  a  man  cannot  dram 
any  tinny  from  himself ,  and  cannot  do  any  thing  from  himself ,  is 
taught  by  the  Word  in  John  iii.  27  ;  xv.  5. 

89.  How  as  all  volition  is  from  love,  and  all  understanding 
is  from  wisdom,  it  follows,  that  to  be  able  to  will  is  from  the 
divine  love,  and  to  be  able  to  understand  is  from  the  divine 
wisdom,  therefore,  both  from  the  Lord,  who  is  divine  Ipve 
itself  and  divine  wisdom  itself.  Hence  it  follows,  that  to  act 


from  liberty  according 


to  reason,  is  from  no  other  source. 


Every  one  acts  according  to  liberty,  because  liberty,  like  love, 
cannot  be  separated  from  volition  ;  but  in  a  man  there  exists  an 
interior  volition  or  interior  will,  and  an  exterior  volition  or 
exterior  will,  and  he  can  act  according  to  the  exterior,  and  at 
the  same  time  not  according  to  the  interior  ;  in  this  case  he  acts 
the  hypocrite  and  flatterer  ;  and  yet  exterior  volition  is  from 
liberty,  because  it  is  from  the  love  of  appearing  otherwise  than 
he  is,  or  from  the  love  of  some  evil  which  he  intends  from  the 
love  of  his  interior  will.  But,  as  was  said  above,  a  wicked  man 
cannot  from  liberty  according  to  reason  do  any  thing  but  evil, 
for  he  cannot  from  liberty  according  to  reason  do  good.  He 
can  indeed  do  good,  but  not  from  interior  liberty,  which  is  his 
50 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


89—91 


proper  liberty,  and  from  which  his  exterior  liberty  derives  its 
quality  of  being  not  good. 

90.  It  is  said  that  a  man  can  be  reformed  and  regenerated  in 
proportion  as  he  can  be  led,  by  the  above  two  faculties,  to  ac¬ 
knowledge  that  all  the  good  and  all  the  trn:h  which  he  thinks 
and  does  is  from  the  Lord,  and  not  from  himself.  The  reason 
why  a  man  cannot  acknowledge  this  but  by  those  two  faculties, 
is  because  they  are  from  the  Lord ;  and  they  are  of  the  Lord  in 
him,  as  is  evident  from  what  was  said  above ;  it  follows  there¬ 
fore,  that  a  man  cannot  do  this  from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord ; 
yet  still  he  can  do  it  as  if  it  were  from  himself:  this  power  the 
Lord  gives  to  every  one.  Let  it  be  supposed  that  he  believes 
from  himself ;  still,  when  he  becomes  wise,  he  will  acknowledge 
that  it  is  not  from  himself.  Otherwise,  the  truth  which  he 
thinks,  and  the  good  which  he  does,  are  not  true  and  good  in 
themselves  ;  for  the  man,  and  not  the  Lord,  is  in  them  ;  and 
the  good  in  which  a  man  is,  if  it  be  for  the  sake  of  salvation,  is 
meritorious  good  ;  but  the  good  in  which  the  Lord  is,  is  not 
meritorious. 

91.  But  that  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
acknowledgment  that  all  good  and  all  truth  is  from  him,  cause 
a  man  to  be  reformed  and  regenerated,  is  what  few  persons  can 
see  with  the  understanding ;  tor  it  may  be  thought,  of  what  con¬ 
sequence  is  such  acknowledgment,  seeing  that  the  Lord  is  omni¬ 
potent,  and  wills  the  salvation  of  all,  and  thence  can  and  w  11 
effect  it,  if  he  be  moved  to  compassion  ?  But  to  think  thus  is 
not  from  the  Lord,  nor  consequently  is  it  from  the  interior  light 
of  the  understanding,  that  is  from  any  illumination  ;  therefore 
what  acknowledgment  operates,  shall  be  here  briefly  explained. 
In  the  spiritual  world,  where  spaces  are  appearances  only,  wis¬ 
dom  produces  presence,  and  love  produces  conjunction ;  and 
vice  versa.  There  is  given  an  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord 
from  wisdom,  and  there  is  given  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
Lord  from  love.  The  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  from  wisdom, 
which  viewed  in  itself  is  only  a  knowledge  of  him,  is  given  from 
doctrine ;  and  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  from  love  is 
given  from  a  life  according  to  doctrine  ;  the  latter  giving  con¬ 
junction,  but  the  former  presence.  This  is  the  reason  why  those 
who  reject  doctrine  concerning  the  Lord  remove  themselves  from 
him  ;  and  as  they  also  reject  life,  they  separate  themselves  from 
him :  whereas  those  who  do  not  reject  doctrine,  but  life,  are 
present,  yet  separated.  They  are  like  friends  who  converse 
together,  but  do  not  mutually  love  each  other ;  and  like  two, 
of  which  the  one  speaks  with  the  other  as  a  friend,  but  hates 
him  as  an  enemy.  That  this  is  the  case,  is  also  known  from  the 
common  idea,  that  he  who  teaches  well  and  lives  well,  is  saved., 
but  not  he  who  teaches  well  and  lives  ill ;  and  that  he  who 
does  not  acknowledge  God,  cannot  be  saved.  From  this  conei- 


91,  92 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


deration  it  is  evident,  what  sort  of  a  religion  it  is,  to  think  of 
the  Lord  from  faith,  as  it  is  called,  and  not  to  do  any  thing  from 
charity.  Hence  the  Lord  says,  “  Why  call  ye  me"  Lord,  Lord, 
and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say  ?  Whosoever  cometh  to 
me,  and  heareth  my  sayings,  and  doeth  them,  is  like  a  man 
that  built  a  house,  and  laid  the  foundation  on  a  rock  :  but  he 
that  heareth,  and  doeth  not,  is  like  a  man  that  without  a  foun¬ 
dation  built  a  house  upon  the  earth”  (Luke  vi.  46 — 19). 

92.  YI.  That  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man ,  an  d  the 
reciprocal  conjunction  of  a  man  ivith  the  Lord,  is  effected  by  these 
two  faculties.  Conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  regeneration  are 
one,  for  in  proportion  as  any  one  is  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  he  is 
regenerate  :  therefore,  all  that  is  said  above  of  regeneration  may 
be  said  of  conjunction,  and  what  is  here  said  of  conjunction  may 
be  said  of  regeneration.  That  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lord 
with  a  man,  and  a  reciprocal  conjunction  of  a  man  with  the  Lord, 
the  Lord  himself  teaches  in  John  :  u  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit”  (xv.  4,  5).  “  At  that  day  ye  shall  know,  that  ye 

are  in  me,  and  I  in  you”  (xiv.  20).  Any  one  may  see  from 
reason  alone,  that  there  is  no  conjunction  of  minds  unless  it  be 
reciprocal,  and  that  reciprocation  conjoins.  If  one  loves  an¬ 
other,  and  is  not  loved  in  return,  in  this  case,  as  the  one 
approaches  the  other  retires  ;  but  if  he  is  loved  in  return,  then 
as  one  approaches  the  other  approaches  also,  and  conjunction  is 
effected  :  for  love  wills  to  be  beloved  ;  this  is  inherent  in  it ;  and 
in  proportion  as  it  is  beloved  again,  it  is  in  itself  and  in  its 
delight.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  if  the  Lord  only  loved  a  man, 
and  were  not  in  his  turn  to  be  beloved  by  him,  the  Lord  would 
approach  and  he  would  retire  ;  thus  the  Lord  would  continually 
will  to  meet  the  man  and  to  enter  in  to  him,  and  the  man  would 
turn  himself  away  and  depart.  With  those  who  are  in  hell  such 
is  the  case,  but  with  those  who  are  in  heaven  there  is  a  mutual 
conjunction.  As  the  Lord  wills  conjunction  with  a  man  for  the 
sake  of  his  salvation,  he  provides  also  that  in  the  man  there  should 
be  a  reciprocal  principle,  by  which  the  good  which  he  wills  and 
does  from  liberty,  and  the  truth  which  he  thinks  and  speaks 
from  his  will  according  to  reason,  should  appear  to  him  as  being 
from  himself;  and  that  such  good  in  his  will  and  truth  in  his 
understanding  should  appear  as  his  own.  Indeed,  they  appear 
to  a  man  as  from  himself,  and  as  his  own,  altogether  as  if  they 
were  so  ;  there  is  no  distinction.  Consider  only  whether  a  man 
with  any  one  of  his  senses  perceives  otherwise.  Of  this  appear¬ 
ance  as  if  from  himself,  see  above,  n.  74 — 77  ;  and  of  appro¬ 
priation  as  his  own,n.  78 — 81  :  the  only  difference  is,  that  a  man 
ought  to  acknowledge  that  he  does  not  do  good  and  think  truth 
from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord  ;  and,  consequently,  that  the 
good  which  he  does  and  the  truth  which  he  thinks  are  not  his 


THE  DITINE  PROVIDENCE. 


92—95 


ovn.  To  think  thus  from  some  degree  of  love  in  the  will, 
because  it  is  the  truth,  effects  conjunction  ;  for  thus  a  man 
looks  to  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  looks  to  him, 

93.  What  the  difference  is  between  those  who  believe  all 
good  to  be  from  the  Lord,  and  those  who  believe  good  to  be 
from  themselves,  it  has  been  granted  me  to  hear  and  to  see  in 
the  spiritual  world.  Those  who  believe  good  to  be  from  the 
Lord,  turn  their  faces  to  him,  and  receive  the  delight  and  bless- 
edness  of  good  ;  but  those  who  believe  good  to  be  from  them¬ 
selves,  look  to  themselves,  and  think  that  they  have  deserved 
it ;  and  as  they  look  to  themselves,  they  cannot  but  perceive  the 
delight  of  their  own  good,  which  is  not  the  delight  of  good,  but 
the  delight  of  evil ;  for  a  man’s  selfhood  is  evil,  and  the  de¬ 
light  of  evil  perceived  as  good  is  hell.  Those  who  have  done 
good,  and  thought  it  was  from  themselves,  if  they  do  not  after 
death  receive  the  truth,  that  all  good  is  from  the  Lord,  mix 
with  infernal  genii,  and  at  length  act  as  one  with  them  ;  whereas, 
those  who  receive  that  truth  are  reformed.  But  no  others  receive 
it  except  those  who  have  respected  God  in  their  life  :  and  to 
respect  or  look  up  to  God  in  the  life,  is  nothing  else  but  to 
shun  evils  as  sins. 

9L  Conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  and  reciprocal  con¬ 
junction  of  a  man  with  the  Lord,  is  effected  by  his  loving  his 
neighbour  as  himself,  and  loving  the  Lord  above  all  things. 
To  love  his  neighbour  as  himself,  is  nothing  else  than  not  to  act 
insincerely  and  unjustly  with  him,  not  to  hate  him  and  burn 
with  revenge  against  him,  not  to  blaspheme  and  defame  him, 
not  to  commit  adultery  with  his  wife,  and  not  to  do  any  other 
such  like  things  against  him.  Who  cannot  see  that  those  who 
do  such  things,  do  not  love  their  neighbour  as  themselves  ? 
But  those  who  refrain  from  such  things,  because  they  are  evils 
against  their  neighbour  and  at  the  same  time  sins  against  God, 
deal  sincerely,  justly,  friendly,  and  faithfully  with  their  neigh¬ 
bour  ;  and  as  the  Lord  does  in  like  manner,  a  reciprocal  con¬ 
junction  is  effected.  When  conjunction  is  reciprocal,  whatso¬ 
ever  a  man  does  to  his  neighbour,  he  does  from  the  Lord,  and 
whatsoever  he  does  from  the  Lord  is  good  ;  and  then  his  neigh- 
hour  is  not  to  him  the  mere  person,  but  good  in  the  person. 
To  love  the  Lord  above  all  things,  is  nothing  else  than  not  to 
do  evil  to  the  Word,  because  the  Lord  is  therein;  or  to  do 
evil  to  the  holy  things  of  the  church,  because  the  Lord  is 
therein  ;  or  to  do  evil  to  the  soul  of  any  one,  because  the  soul 
of  every  one  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  Those  who  shun  these 
evils  as  enormous  sins,  love  the  Lord  above  all  things  ;  but  this 
none  can  do  except  such  as  love  their  neighbour  as  themselves, 
for  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  to  the  neighbour  are  in  com 
junction. 

95.  Forasmuch  as  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with 
53 


95,  96 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


man,  ancl  of  man  with  the  Lord,  therefore  there  are  two  tables 
of  the  law,  one  for  the  Lord  and  the  other  for  man.  In  pro¬ 
portion  as  a  man  as  from  himself  obeys  the  laws  of  his  own 
table,  in  the  same  proportion  the  Lord  enables  him  to  obey  the 
laws  of  his  table.  But  the  man  who  does  not  keep  the  laws  of 
his  own  table,  all  of  which  relate  to  the  love  of  his  neighbour, 
cannot  keep  the  laws  of  the  Lord’s  table,  all  of  which  relate  to 
the  love  of  the  Lord.  How  can  a  murderer,  a  thief,  an  adul¬ 
terer,  and  a  false  witness,  love  the  Lord  ?  Does  not  reason 
dictate,  that  to  be  such,  and  to  love  the  Lord,  is  contradictory  ? 
Is  not  the  devil  such  a  one,  and  can  he  do  otherwise  than  hate 
the  Lord  ?  But  when  a  man  turns  away  from  murders,  adul¬ 
teries,  thefts,  and  false  testimony,  as  infernal,  he  can  then  love 
the  Lord  ;  for  then  he  turns  his  face  from  the  devil  to  the  Lord, 
and  when  he  turns  his  face  to  the  Lord,  love  and  wisdom  are 
given  him, — these  principles  entering  into  a  man  by  his  face, 
and  not  by  the  hinder  part  of  his  head.  As  in  this  and  in 
no  other  manner  conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  effected,  there¬ 
fore  those  two  tables  are  called  the  covenant,  and  a  covenant 
is  between  two. 

96.  VII.  That  the  Lord  preserves  these  two  faculties  in  a  man 
inviolable ,  and  as  sacred ,  in  every  proceeding  of  his  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence.  The  reasons  are,  that  a  man,  without  those  two  faculties, 
would  not  have  understanding  and  will,  and,  therefore,  would 
not  be  a  man  ;  also,  that  a  man,  without  those  two  faculties,, 
could  not  be  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  therefore,  could  not  be 
reformed  and  regenerated  ;  and  further,  that,  without  those  two 
faculties,  he  would  not  have  immortality  and  eternal  life. 
That  this  is  the  case,  may  indeed  be  seen  from  the  knowledge 
respecting  liberty  and  rationality  (which  are  those  two  faculties), 
which  was  given  in  the  foregoing  pages  ;  but  it  cannot  be  seen 
clearly,  unless  the  reasons  be  presented  to  the  view  as  conclu¬ 
sions,  wherefore  it  may  be  expedient  to  illustrate  each.  That  a 
man ,  without  those  two  faculties,  would  not  have  will  and  under¬ 
standing ,  and ,  therefore ,  would  not  be  a  man  :  for  a  man  has  will 
from  no  other  source  than  from  the  power  of  willing  freely  as 
from  himself ;  and  freely  to  will,  as  from  himself,  is  from  the 
faculty  continually  given  him  by  the  Lord,  which  is  called 
liberty  ;  and  a  man  has  understanding  from  no  other  source  than 
from  the  power  as  of  himself  to  understand  whether  a  thing  be 
of  reason  or  not ;  and  to  understand  whether  it  be  of  reason 
or  not,  is  from  that  other  faculty  continually  given  him  by 
the  Lord,  which  is  called  rationality.  These  faculties  join  them¬ 
selves  together  in  a  man  like  the  will  and  the  understanding ; 
for  instance,  because  a  man  can  will,  he  can  also  understand, 
for  volition  is  not  given  without  understanding, — understanding 
being  its  consort  or  companion,  without  which  it  cannot  exist : 
wherefore  with  the  faculty  which  is  called  liberty,  is  given  the 
54 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


96 


faculty  which  is  called  rationality.  Further,  if  you  take  away 
volition  from  understanding,  you  understand  nothing ;  and  in 
proportion  as  you  will,  in  the  same  proportion  you  can  under¬ 
stand,  provided  there  be  at  hand  and  at  the  same  time  are 
opened  those  assistances  which  are  called  knowledges,  for  these 
are  like  instruments  in  the  hands  of  artificers.  It  is  said  that 
in  proportion  as  you  will  you  can  understand,  that  is,  in 
proportion  as  you  love  to  understand  ;  for  will  and  love  act 
as  one.  This  indeed  appears  as  a  paradox ;  but  it  appears  so 
to  those  only  who  do  not  love  to  understand,  and  therefore 
will  not,  and  those  who  will  not,  say  they  cannot.  But  who 
they  are  that  cannot  understand,  and  who  they  that  can  with 
difficulty  understand,  will  be  shown  in  the  following  article. 
Without  confirmation,  it  is  evident,  that  if  a  man  had  not  will 
from  the  faculty  which  is  called  liberty,  and  understanding  from 
the  faculty  which  is  called  rationality,  he  would  not  be  a  man. 
Beasts  have  not  these  faculties.  It  appears  as  if  they  could  also 
will,  and  could  understand,  but  they  cannot ;  it  is  natural  affec¬ 
tion,  which  in  itself  is  desire,  with  its  concomitant  science, 
which  alone  leads  and  prompts  them  to  do  what  they  do.  There 
is  indeed  a  civil  and  moral  principle  in  their  science ;  but  they 
are  not  above  science,  because  they  have  no  spiritual  principle, 
which  enables  them  to  perceive  the  moral  principle,  and  thence 
to  think  it  analytically.  They  can  indeed  be  taught  to  do  any 
thing ;  but  this  is  only  the  natural  principle,  which  adds  itself 
to  their  science,  and  at  the  same  time  to  their  affection,  and  is 
reproduced  either  by  sight  or  by  hearing,  but  is  never  made 
a  principle  of  thought,  and  still  less  of  reason  in  them.  Some¬ 
thing  on  this  subject  may  be  seen  above,  n.  74.  That  a  man 
without  those  two  faculties  could  not  be  conjoined  to  the  Lord ,  and, 
therefore ,  could  not  be  reformed  and  regenerated ,  was  shown 
above  ;  for  the  Lord  resides  in  those  two  faculties  in  men,  in  the 
wicked  as  well  as  in  the  good,  and  by  them  he  joins  himself  to 
every  man.  Hence  it  is  that  a  wicked  man,  as  well  as  a  good 
man,  can  understand,  and  has  in  his  power  the  will  of  good 
and  the  understanding  of  truth ;  and  it  is  from  the  abuse  of 
those  faculties  that  they  are  not  in  act.  That  the  Lord  resides 
in  those  faculties  in  every  man,  is  owing  to  the  influx  of  the 
will  of  the  Lord,  his  desire  to  be  received  by  a  man,  to  make  his 
abode  with  him,  and  to  give  him  the  felicities  of  eternal  life. 
These  things  are  of  the  will  of  the  Lord,  because  they  are  of 
his  divine  love.  It  is  this  will  of  the  Lord,  which  causes  it  to 
appear  in  a  man  that  he  of  himself  thinks,  speaks,  wills,  and 
acts.  That  the  influx  of  the  will  of  the  Lord  produces  this 
effect,  may  be  confirmed  by  many  particulars  from  the  spiritual 
world  ;  for  sometimes  the  Lord  fills  an  angel  with  his  divine 
principle,  so  that  the  angel  knows  no  other  than  that  he  is  the 
Lord.  Li  this  manner  were  those  angels  filled  who  were  seen 
oo 


96,  97 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERN  D>G 


by  Abraham-  Hagar,  and  Gideon,  and  who  therefore  called 
themselves  Jehovah,  as  mentioned  in  the  "Word.  So,  also,  one 
spirit  can  be  filled  by  another,  until  he  does  not  know  but  that 
he  is  the  other,  as  has  often  been  seen  by  me.  Moreover,  it  is 
known  in  heaven  that  the  Lord  effects  all  things  bv  volition,  and 
that  what  he  wills  is  done.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  it  is  those 
two  faculties  by  which  the  Lord  conjoins  himself  to  a  man,  and 
by  which  he  causes  a  man  to  be  reciprocally  conjoined  to  him. 
But  how  a  man  by  those  two  faculties  is  reciprocally  conjoined, 
consequently,  how  by  them  he  is  reformed  and  regenerated, 
was  mentioned  before,  and  more  will  be  said  of  it  hereafter. 
Th  at  a  man  zoithout  those  two  faculties  would  not  have  immortality 
and  eternal  life ,  follows,  from  what  Las  just  been  said, — that  by 
them  conjunction  is  effected  with  the  Lord,  and  also  reforma¬ 
tion  and  regeneration.  By  conjunction  a  man  has  immortality, 
and  bv  reformation  and  regeneration  eternal  life.  And  since 
by  those  faculties  there  is  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  every 
man,  with  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  as  before  stated, 
therefore  every  man  has  immortality;  but  he  alone  has  eternal 
life,  that  is,  the  life  of  heaven,  in  whom  there  is  a  reciprocal 
conjunction  from  inmost  parts  to  ultimates.  Hence  may  be 
seen  the  reasons  why  the  Lord  preserves  those  two  faculties 
in  man  inviolable,  and  as  sacred,  in  every  proceeding  of  his 
Divine  Providence. 

97.  Till.  That  therefore  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence  that 
a  man  should  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason.  To  act  from 
libertv  according  to  reason,  and  to  act  from  iibertv  and  ration- 
ality,  is  the  saftie  thing,  as  is  also  to  act  from  the  will  and  the 
understanding  ;  but  it  is  one  thing  to  act  from  libertv  according 
to  reason,  or  from  liberty  and  rationality,  and  another  to  act 
from  liberty  itself  according  to  reason  itself,  or  from  genuine  li¬ 
berty  and  genuine  rationality.  For  the  man  who  does  evil  from  the 
love  of  evil,  and  confirms  it  in  himself,  acts  indeed  from  liberty 
according  to  reason,  but  nevertheless  his  liberty  is  in  itself  not 
libertv,  or  not  essential  libertv,  but  it  is  infernal  libertv,  which 
is  in  itself  slavery ;  and  his  reason  is  in  itself  not  reason,  but  it 
is  either  spurious  or  false  reason,  or  reason  only  appearing  such 
from  confirmations.  Still,  however,  both  are  of  the  Divine 
Providence ;  for  if  the  free  power  of  willing  evil,  and  of  making 
it  appear  like  reason  by  confirmations,  were  taken  away  from 
the  natural  man,  liberty  and  rationality  would  perish,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  will  and  the  understanding ;  and  it  would 
not  be  possible  for  him  to  be  withdrawn  from  evils  and  reformed, 
or  consecpiently  to  be  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  live  to  eter¬ 
nity.  Wherefore  the  Lord  guards  liberty  in  a  man,  as  a  man 
guards  the  apple  of  his  eye.  But  still  the  Lord  by  liberty  con¬ 
tinually  withdraws  a  man  from  evils,  and,  so  far  as  by  liberty  he 
can  withdraw  him,  in  the  same  degree  by  liberty  he  impiant3 
56 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


97—99 


goods  :  thus,  successively,  in  place  of  infernal  liberty  he  invests 
him  with  celestial  liberty. 

98.  It  was  said  above,  that  every  man  has  a  faculty  of 
willing  which  is  called  liberty,  and  a  faculty  of  understanding 
which  is  called  rationality :  it  is,  however,  well  to  be  observed, 
that  these  faculties  are  as  it  were  inherent  in  a  man,  for  the 
essential  human  principle  resides  in  them  ;  but,  as  before  ob¬ 
served,  it  is  one  tiling  to  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason, 
and  another  to  act  from  essential  liberty  according  to  es¬ 
sential  reason,  None  act  from  essential  liberty  according  to 
essential  reason  but  those  who  have  suffered  themselves  to  be 
regenerated  by  the  Lord :  all  others  act  from  liberty  ac¬ 
cording  to  their  thought,  which  they  make  like  reason.  Ne¬ 
vertheless,  every  man,  unless  he  be  born  an  idiot  or  extremely 
stupid,  may  attain  to  essential  reason,  and  thereby  to  essential 
liberty.  The  causes  why  he  does  not  attain  thereto  are  several, 
as  will  be  seen  in  what  follows.  We  shall  here  only  point  out 
to  whom  essential  freedom  or  essential  liberty,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  essential  reason  or  essential  rationality,  cannot  be  given, 
and  to  whom  they  are  given  with  difficulty.  Essential  liberty 
and  rationality  cannot  be  given  to  those  who  are  born  idiots  ; 
or  to  those  who  afterwards  become  idiots,  so  long  as  they 
remain  such.  Essential  liberty  and  rationality  cannot  be  given 
to  such  as  are  born  stupid  and  silly,  or  to  some  who  become 
such  from  the  torpor  of  idleness,  or  from  sickness,  which  per¬ 
verts  or  entirely  closes  the  interiors  of  the  mind,  or  from  the 
love  of  a  beastly  life.  Neither  can  essential  liberty  and  ration¬ 
ality  be  given  to  those  in  the  Christian  world,  who  altogether 
deny  the  Lord’s  divinity  and  the  sanctity  of  the  Word,  and  have 
kept  this  denial  confirmed  in  themselves  to  the  end  of  life ;  for 
this  is  understood  by  the  sin  against  the  Iloly  Ghost,  which  is 
not  forgiven  in  this  world,  or  in  that  which  is  to  come.  Matt, 
xii.  31,  32.  Neither  can  essential  liberty  and  rationality  be 
given  in  those  who  attribute  all  things  to  nature,  and  nothing  to 
the  Divine  Being,  and  have  made  this  a  part  of  their  faith  by 
reasonings  from  visible  objects  :  for  all  such  are  atheists.  Es¬ 
sential  liberty  and  rationality  are  given  with  difficulty  in  those 
who  have  confirmed  themselves  much  in  falses  of  religion  ; 
because  the  confirmer  of  what  is  false  is  the  denier  of  truth. 
But  those  who  have  not  so  confirmed  themselves  may  attain  to 
true  liberty  and  rationality,  of  whatsoever  religion  they  may  be  ; 
on  which  subject  see  what  is  adduced  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  JTew 
Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture ,  n.  91 — 97.  Infants 
and  children  cannot  come  into  essential  liberty  and  rationality 
before  they  grow  up,  because  the  interiors  of  the  mind  in  a  man 
are  successively  opened  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  they  are  like 
seeds  in  unripe  fruit,  which  cannot  germinate  in  the  ground. 

99.  It  was  said,  that  essential  liberty  and  rationality  cannot 

57 


99,  100 


ANGELIC  "WISDOM  CONCERNING 


be  given  in  those  who  have  denied  the  Lord’s  divinity  and  the 
sanctity  of  the  Word  ;  or  in  those  who  have  confirmed  themselves 
for  nature  against  the  divine  principle ;  and  hardly  in  those  who 
have  confirmed  themselves  much  in  falses  of  religion  :  but  still 
these  have  not  lost  those  faculties  themselves.  "1  have  heard 
atheists,  that  were  become  devils  and  satans,  who  understood 
arcana  of  wisdom  as  well  as  angels,  yet  only  when  they  heard 
them  from  others ;  but  when  they  returned  into  their  own 
thoughts  they  did  not  understand  them ;  the  reason  of  which  was 
that  they  would  not.  It  was  shown  them  that  they  also  could  will 
to  understand  them  if  the  love  and  consequent  delight  of  evil  did 
not  prevent  them ;  and  this  also  they  understood  when  they  heard 
it ;  yea,  they  affirmed  that  they  could,  and  were  able,  but  that 
they  did  not  will  to  be  able,  because  thereby  they  would  not  be 
able  to  will  what  they  did  will,  which  was  evil  from  the  delight  of 
the  concupiscence  thereof.  Such  wonderful  things  in  the  spiritual 
world  have  I  often  heard ;  from  which  I  was  fully  confirmed 
that  every  man  has  liberty  and  rationality,  and  that  every  one 
may  come  into  essential  liberty  and  rationality,  if  he  shuns  evils 
as  sins.  But  the  adult  who  does  not  come  into  essential  liberty 
and  rationality  in  the  world  can  never  come  into  them  after 
death ;  for  then  whatever  is  the  state  of  his  life  which  has  been 
acquired  in  the  world,  such  it  remains  to  eternity. 


THAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  THAT  A  MAN 
AS  FROM  HIMSELF  SHOULD  REMOVE  EVILS  AS  SINS  IN  THE 
EXTERNAL  MAN,  AND  THAT  THUS  AND  NO  OTHERWISE  THE 
LORD  CAN  REMOVE  EVILS  IN  THE  INTERNAL  MAN,  AND 
THEN  AT  THE  SAME  TIME  IN  THE  EXTERNAL. 

100.  Evert  one  may  see  from  reason  alone,  that  the  Lord, 
who  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself,  cannot  enter  into  a  man  unless 
the  evils  and  falsities  in  him  are  removed  ;  for  evil  is  opposite  to 
good,  and  falsity  is  opposite  to  truth  ;  and  two  opposites  never 
can  be  mixed,  but  when  one  approaches  the  other  a  combat 
ensues,  which  continues  until  one  gives  place  to  the  other  ;  that 
which  gives  place  departing  and  the  other  succeeding.  In  suet 
opposition  are  heaven  and  hell,  or  the  Lord  and  the  devil.  Car. 
any  one  think  from  reason  that  the  Lord  can  enter  where  the 
devil  reigns,  or  that  heaven  can  be  where  hell  is  ?  AYho  does 
not  see,  by  virtue  of  the  rationality  given  to  every  man  ot  sound 
mind,  that,  in  order  that  the  Lord  may  enter,  the  devil  must  be 
cast  out,  or  in  order  that  heaven  may  enter,  hell  is  to  be  re- 
moved  ?  This  opposition  is  meant  by  the  words  of  Abraham  out 
of  heaven  to  the  rich  man  in  hell :  “  Between  us  and  you  there 
58 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE 


100,  101 

is  a  great  gulf  fixed,  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from  hence 
to  you  cannot ;  neither  can  they  pass  to  us  that  would  come 
from  thence”  (Luke  xvi.  26).  Evil  itself  is  hell,  and  good  itself 
is  heaven,  or,  what  is  the  same,  evil  itself  is  the  devil,  and  good 
itself  is  the  Lord  ;  and  a  man  in  whom  evil  reigns  is  a  hell  in  its 
least  form,  and  a  man  in  whom  good  reigns  is  a  heaven  in  its 
least  form.  This  being  the  case,  how  can  heaven  enter  into 
hell,  when  between  them  so  great  a  gulf  is  fixed  that  there  is  no 
passing  from  the  one  to  the  other  ?  Hence  it  follows  that  hell 
is  entirely  to  be  removed,  that  the  Lord  may  be  able  to  enter 
with  heaven. 

101.  But  many,  especiallv  those  who  have  confirmed  them- 
selves  in  faith  separate  from  charity,  do  not  know  that  they  are 
in  hell  when  they  are  in  evils,  nor  do  they  know,  indeed,  what 
evils  are,  because  they  think  nothing  of  them  ;  saying,  that  they 
are  not  under  the  yoke  of  the  law,  and  therefore  that  the  law 
does  not  condemn  them  ;  also,  because  they  cannot  contribute 
any  thing  to  their  own  salvation,  that  they  cannot  remove  any 
evil  from  themselves  ;  and,  moreover,  that  they  cannot  do  any 
good  from  themselves.  These  are  they  who  omit  to  think  of 
evil,  and  because  they  omit  to  think  of  it  they  are  continually 
in  it.  That  these  are  they  who  are  meant  by  the  goats  spoken 
of  by  the  Lord  in  Matthew,  ch.  xxv.,  and  of  whom  it  is  said, 
verse  41,  u  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  pre¬ 
pared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels,”  may  be  seen  in  the  Doctrine 
of  the  New  Jerusalem  concerning  Faith ,  n.  61 — 68.  For  those 
who  think  nothing  of  evils  in  themselves,  that  is,  who  do  not 
explore  themselves,  and  afterwards  desist  from  them,  cannot  but 
be  ignorant  what  evil  is,  and  then  love  it  from  the  delight 
thereof ;  for  he  who  does  not  know  what  evil  is  loves  it,  and  he 
who  omits  to  think  of  it  is  continually  in  it,  being  like  a  blind 
man  who  does  not  see  ;  for  the  thought  sees  good  and  evil  as  the 
eve  sees  what  is  beautiful  and  uglv  ;  and  he  is  in  evil  who  thinks 
and  wills  it,  as  well  as  he  who  believes  that  evil  does  not  appear 
before  God,  and  that  it  is  forgiven  if  it  appears,  for  thus  he 
thinks  that  he  is  without  evil.  If  such  persons  abstain  from 
doing  evils,  they  do  not  abstain  because  they  are  sins  against 
God,  but  because  they  are  afraid  of  the  laws  and  of  their  repu¬ 
tation  ;  thus  they  do  evils  in  their  spirit  continually,  for  it  is  the 
spirit  of  man  which  thinks  and  wills  ;  and  therefore  that  which 
a  man  thinks  in  his  spirit  in  the  world  he  does  after  his  depar¬ 
ture  out  of  the  world,  when  he  becomes  a  spirit.  In  the  spiritual 
world,  into  which  every  man  comes  after  death,  it  is  not  asked 
what  has  your  faith  been,  or  what  your  doctrine,  but  what  has 
your  life  been  ?  Thus  the  inquiry  is  concerning  the  nature  and 
quality  of  the  life  ;  for  it  is  known  that  such  as  any  one’s  life  is, 
such  is  his  faith,  and  such  his  doctrine  ;  because  the  life  forms 
to  itself  doctrine,  and  forms  to  itself  faith. 

50 


102 — 1 04 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


102.  From  what  has  just  been  said  it  may  appear,  that  it  is 
a  law  of  t_.e  Divine  Providence,  that  evils  should  be  removed  by 
a  man,  for  without  the  removal  of  them  the  Lord  cannot  be  con¬ 
joined  to  him,  and  lead  him  from  self  into  heaven.  But  as  it  is 
not  known,  that  a  man  ought  as  from  himself  to  remove  evils  r\ 
the  external  man,  and  that  unless  he  does  this  as  from  himself, 
the  Lord  cannot  remove  evils  in  him  in  the  internal  man,  there¬ 
fore  we  shall  proceed  to  exhibit  this  to  the  view  of  reason  in  its 
light,  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  every  man  has  an  ex¬ 
ternal  and  an  internal  of  thought.  II.  That  the  external  of  a 
man’s  thought  is  in  itself  such  as  is  its  internal.  III.  That  the 
internal  cannot  be  purified  from  the  concupiscences  of  evil  so 
long  as  evils  in  the  external  man  are  not  removed,  because  thev 
obstruct.  IY.  That  evils  in  the  external  man  cannot  be  removed 
by  the  Lord,  but  by  means  of  the  man.  Y.  That  therefore  a  man 
ought  to  remove  evils  from  the  external  man  as  from  himself. 
Yl.  That  the  Lord  then  purifies  him  from  the  concupiscences  of 
evil  in  the  internal  man,  and  from  evils  themselves  in  the  ex¬ 
ternal.  YII.  That  it  is  the  continual  endeavour  of  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord,  to  join  a  man  to  himself,  and  himself  to 
a  man,  that  he  may  be  able  to  give  him  the  felicities  of  eternal 
life  ;  which  cannot  be  done,  except  in  proportion  as  evils  with 
their  concupiscences  are  removed. 

103.  I.  That  every  ma?i  has  an  external  and  an  internal  of 
ikought.  By  the  external  and  internal  of  thought  is  here  under¬ 
stood  the  same  as  by  the  external  and  internal  man,  which 
means  nothing  else  but  the  external  and  the  internal  of  the  will 
and  understanding,  for  the  will  and  understanding  make  the 
man  ;  and  as  these  two  manifest  themselves  in  the  thoughts, 
they  are  called  the  external  and  internal  of  thought.  How  as 
it  is  not  a  man’s  body,  but  his  spirit,  which  wills  and  under¬ 
stands,  and  thence  thinks,  it  follows,  that  this  external  and 
internal  is  the  external  and  internal  of  a  man’s  spirit.  Bodily 
action,  whether  exerted  in  speech  or  in  work,  is  only  an  effect 
from  the  internal  and  external  of  a  man’s  spirit ;  for  the  body 
is  merely  obedience. 

101.  That  every  man  in  an  advanced  age  has  an  external 
and  an  internal  of  thought,  therefore  an  external  and  an  in¬ 
ternal  of  will  and  understanding,  or  an  external  and  an  internal 
of  the  spirit,  which  is  the  same  with  the  external  and  internal 
man,  is  evident  to  every  one  who  attends  to  the  thoughts  and 
intentions  of  another  from  his  speech  or  actions,  and  also  to  Ids 
own  thoughts  and  intentions,  when  he  is  in  company  and  wThen 
he  is  not ;  for  any  one  may  speak  in  a  friendly  manner  with 
another  in  external  thought,  and  yet  be  his  enemy  in  internal 
thought ;  any  one  may  speak  of  love  towards  his  neighbour,  and 
ef  love  towards  God,  from  external  thought  and  at  the  same 
time  from  its  affection  when,  nevertheless,  in  his  internal 
60 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


104—106 


thought  he  makes  light  of  his  neighbour,  and  does  not  fear 
God  ;  any  one  also,  from  external  thought  and  affection,  may 
speak  of  the  justice  of  civil  laws,  of  the  virtues  of  moral  life, 
and  of  the  things  which  relate  to  spiritual  doctrine  and  life, 
and  yet,  from  internal  thought  and  its  affection,  when  he  is 
alone  by  himself,  may  speak  against  civil  laws,  against  moral 
virtues,  and  against  the  things  which  relate  to  spiritual  doctrine 
and  life.  This  is  the  case  with  such  as  are  in  the  concupiscences 

.L 

of  ex  il,  and  still  wish  to  appear  before  the  world  not  to  be  in 
them.  Most  people  also,  whilst  they  hear  others  speaking, 
think  with  themselves,  Do  they  think  interiorly  in  themselves, 
as  they  express  their  thoughts  in  their  speech  ?  Are  they  to  be 
believed  or  not  ?  TLhat  is  it  they  intend  ?  It  is  known  that 
flatterers  and  hypocrites  have  a  double  thought ;  for  they  can 
restrain  themselves,  and  take  care  that  their  interior  thought 
shall  not  be  opened,  and  indeed  can  conceal  it  more  and  more 
interiorly,  and  as  it  were  shut  up  the  door  lest  it  should  appeal. 
That  exterior  and  interior  thought  is  given  to  a  man,  is  evidently 
manifest  from  this  consideration,  that  he  can  from  his  interior 
thought  see  his  exterior  thought,  and  also  reflect  upon  it,  ard 
judge  of  it,  whether  it  be  evil  or  not  evil.  This  quality  of  his 
mind  a  man  derives  from  the  two  faculties,  which  he  has  from  the 
Lord,  called  liberty  and  rationality,  from  which,  if  he  had  not 
an  external  and  an  internal  of  thought,  he  could  not  perceive 
and  see  any  evil  in  himself,  and  be  reformed  ;  neither  could  he 
even  speak,  but  only  utter  sounds  like  a  beast. 

105.  The  internal  of  thought  is  from  the  life’s  love  and  its 
affections  and  consequent  perceptions  ;  while  the  external  is 
from  the  things  which  are  in  the  memory,  and  which  are  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  life’s  love  for  confirmations  and  for  means  to 
attain  its  end.  A  man,  from  infancy  to  youth,  is  in  the  external 
of  thought  derived  from  the  affection  of  knowing,  which  then 
makes  his  internal ;  and  there  transpires  also  something  of  con¬ 
cupiscence  and  thence  of  inclination  derived  from  the  life’s  love 
connate  from  his  parents.  But  afterwards,  as  he  lives,  his  life’s 
love  is  formed,  the  affections  and  consequent  perceptions  of 
which  make  the  internal  of  his  thought ;  and  from  the  life’s 
love  is  produced  the  love  of  means,  the  delights  of  which,  and 
the  sciences  excited  thence  from  the  memory,  make  the  exter¬ 
nal  of  his  thought. 

106.  II.  That  the  external  of  a  man's  thought  is  in  itself 
such  as  is  its  internal.  That  a  man  from  head  to  foot  is  such  as 
his  life’s  love  is,  was  shown  above  :  here,  therefore,  it  may  be 
expedient  to  premise  something  concerning  the  life’s  love,  before 
we  proceed  to  speak  of  the  affections,  which,  together  with  per¬ 
ceptions,  make  a  man’s  internal,  and  of  the  delights  of  the 
affections,  which,  together  with  the  thoughts,  make  his  ex¬ 
ternal.  Loves  are  manifold  ;  but  there  are  two  loves  like  lorda 

61 


106— 108 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  kings — celestial  love  and  infernal  love.  Celestial  love  is 
love  to  the  Lord  and  towards  the  neighbour,  and  infernal  love 
is  the  love  of  self  and  of  the  world.  These  loves  are  opposite 
to  each  other,  as  are  heaven  and  hell :  for  he  who  is  in  the  love 
of  self  and  of  the  world  wills  not  good  to  any  one  hut  himself, 
hut  he  who  is  in  love  to  the  Lord  and  towards  his  neighbour 
wills  good  to  all.  These  two  loves  are  the  loves  of  a  man’s 
life,  hut  with  much  variety ;  celestial  love  is  the  life’s  love  of 
those  whom  the  Lord  leads,  and  infernal  love  is  the  life’s  love  of 
those  whom  the  devil  leads.  But  the  life’s  love  of  no  one  can 
exist  without  derivations,  which  are  called  affections.  The  de¬ 
rivations  of  infernal  love  are  affections  of  evil  and  of  falsitv, 
properly  called  concupiscences ;  and  the  derivations  of  celestial 
love  are  affections  of  good  and  truth,  properly  called  dilections. 
The  affections  of  infernal  love,  which  properly  are  concupis¬ 
cences,  are  as  many  as  there  are  evils ;  and  the  affections  of 
celestial  love,  which  properly  are  dilections,  are  as  many  as 
there  are  goods.  The  love  dwells  in  its  affections,  as  a  lord  in 
his  domain,  or  as  a  king  in  his  kingdom.  Its  dominion  or  king¬ 
dom  is  over  the  things  which  belong  to  the  mind,  that  is,  which 
belong  to  the  will  and  the  understanding  of  a  man,  and  thence 
to  his  body.  The  life’s  love  of  a  man,  by  its  affections  and  the 
perceptions  thence  derived,  and  by  its  delights  and  the  thoughts 
thence  derived,  governs  the  whole  man, — the  internal  of  his 
mind  by  its  affections  and  the  perceptions  thence  derived,  and 
the  external  of  his  mind  by  the  delights  of  its  affections  and  the 
thoughts  thence  derived. 

107.  The  form  of  this  government  may  in  some  measure  be 
seen  bv  comparisons.  Celestial  love  with  the  affections  of  good 
and  truth  and  the  perceptions  thence  derived,  and  at  the  same 
time  with  the  delights  of  these  affections  and  the  thoughts  thence 
derived,  may  be  compared  to  a  beautiful  tree  with  branches, 
leaves,  and  fruits.  The  life’s  love  is  that  tree ;  the  branches 
with  the  leaves  are  the  affections  of  good  and  truth  with  their  per¬ 
ceptions  and  the  fruits  are  the  delights  of  the  affections  with 
their  thoughts.  But  infernal  love,  with  its  affections  of  evil  and 
falsity,  which  are  concupiscences,  and  at  the  same  time  with  the 
delights  of  these  concupiscences  and  the  thoughts  thence  derived, 
may  be  compared  to  a  spider  and  the  web  which  encompasses  it. 
The  love  itself,  is  the  spider  ;  the  concupiscences  of  evil  and  fal¬ 
sity,  with  their  interior  wiles,  are  the  retiform  threads  nearest 
to  the  seat  of  the  spider ;  and  the  delights  of  these  concupis¬ 
cences,  with  deceitful  machinations,  are  the  more  remote  threads 
where  flies  are  caught,  entangled,  and  devoured. 

108.  From  these  comparisons  may  be  seen  indeed  the  con¬ 
junction  of  all  things  of  the  will  and  understanding,  or  of 
the  mind  of  a  man,  with  his  life’s  love,  but  yet  not  rationally. 
Such  conjunction  may  be  seen  rationally  thus  :  There  are  every 

62 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


108,  109 


where  three  things  together  which  make  one,  and  are  called 
end,  cause,  and  effect ;  of  which  the  life’s  love  in  a  man  is  the 
end,  the  affections  with  their  perceptions  are  the  cause,  and  the 
delights  of  the  affections  with  their  thoughts  are  the  effect ;  for 
in  such  a  manner  as  the  end  by  the  cause  comes  into  effect,  so 
also  love  by  its  affections  descends  to  its  delights,  and  by  its 
perceptions  to  its  thoughts.  Effects  are  really  in  the  delights 
of  the  mind  and  their  thoughts,  when  the  delights  are  of  the 
will  and  the  thoughts  are  of  the  understanding  thence  derived, 
consequently,  when  there  is  a  full  consent  therein.  They  are 
in  this  case  effects  of  the  spirit,  which,  although  they  do  not 
come  into  bodily  action,  are  still  as  it  were  in  act,  when  there 
is  consent ;  and  they  are  also  then  together  in  the  body,  and 
dwell  there  with  the  life’s  love,  and  aspire  after  action,  which  is 
produced  when  nothing  hinders.  Such  are  the  concupiscences 
of  evil,  and  evils  themselves  in  those  who  make  evils  allowable 
in  their  spirit.  Now  as  the  end  joins  itself  with  the  cause,  and 
by  the  cause  with  the  effect,  so  the  life’s  love  joins  itself  with 
the  internal  principle  of  thought,  and  by  that  with  its  external. 
Hence  it  is  evident,  that  the  external  of  a  man’s  thought  is 
in  itself  such  as  is  its  internal ;  for  the  end  infuses  all  its  quality 
into  the  cause,  and  through  the  cause  into  the  effect,  tliei  e 
being  nothing  essential  in  the  effect  but  what  is  in  the  cause, 
and  through  the  cause  in  the  end  ;  and  as  the  end  is  thus  the 
very  essential  principle  which  enters  the  cause  and  the  effect, 
therefore  the  cause  and  effect  are  called  the  middle  end  and  the 
ultimate  end. 

109.  It  appears  sometimes  as  if  the  external  of  the  thought 
of  a  man  was  not  in  itself  such  as  is  its  internal ;  but  this  hap¬ 
pens  because  the  life’s  love,  with  its  internals  about  it,  places 
below  itself  a  substitute  which  is  called  the  love  of  means,  and 
appoints  it  to  take  heed  and  guard  lest  any  thing  of  its  con¬ 
cupiscences  should  appear;  consequently  that  substitute  (or 
deputy)  from  the  craftiness  of  its  prince,  which  is  the  life’s  love, 
speaks  and  acts  according  to  the  civil  institutions  of  the  king¬ 
dom,  according  to  the  morals  of  reason,  and  according  to  the 
spirituals  of  the  church,  so  cunningly  indeed  and  ingeniously, 
that  no  one  sees  but  that  persons  are  such  as  their  speech  and 
actions  seem  to  indicate  ;  and  at  length,  by  encompassing  tl  * 
selves  with  a  veil,  they  scarcely  know  any  otherwise  themse. 
Such  are  all  hypocrites ;  and  such  are  priests,  who  in  their 
hearts  make  light  of  their  neighbour,  and  fear  not  God,  yet 
preach  concerning  the  love  of  their  neighbour  and  the  love  of 
God  ;  such  are  judges,  who  decide  under  the  influence  of  bribes 
and  friendships,  while  they  profess  a  zeal  for  justice,  and  speak 
of  judgment  from  reason  ;  such  are  merchants,  insincere  and 
fraudulent  at  heart,  when  they  act  sincerelv  for  the  sake  of  in* 
terest ;  such  are  adulterers,  when  from  that  rationality  which 
63 


109—111 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


every  mar.  possesses  they  speak  of  the  chastity  of  marriage , 
and  so  in  other  instances.  But  these  same  persons,  if  they 
strip  the  love  of  means,  the  substitute  of  their  life’s  love,  of 
the  garments  of  purple  and  fine  linen  with  which  they  have  in¬ 
vested  it,  and  clothe  it  in  its  domestic  dress,  then  they  think, 
and  sometimes  in  communication  with  their  intimate  friends, 
who  are  in  a  similar  life’s  love,  even  speak  directly  the  contrary. 
It  may  be  supposed,  when  from  the  love  of  means  they  have 
spoken  so  justly,  sincerely,  and  piously,  that  then  the  quality 
of  their  internal  thought  was  not  in  the  external  of  their 
thought ;  but  nevertheless  it  was,  there  being  hypocrisy  and  the 
love  of  self  and  the  world  in  those  whose  cunning*  it  is,  for  the 
sake  of  honor  or  interest,  to  seek  reputation  by  an  outward  ap¬ 
pearance.  This  quality  of  the  internal  is  in  the  external  of 
their  thought,  when  they  so  speak  and  act. 

110.  But  with  those  who  are  in  celestial  love,  the  internal 
and  external  of  thought,  or  the  internal  and  external  man, 
make  one  when  they  speak,  nor  do  they  know  any  difference. 
Their  life’s  love,  with  its  affections  of  good  and  their  percep¬ 
tions  of  truth,  is  as  the  soul  in  whatever  they  think,  and 
thence  speak  and  do.  If  they  are  priests,  they  preach  from 
love  towards  their  neighbour  and  love  to  the  Lord  ;  if  they  are 
judges,  they  judge  from  justice  itself;  if  they  are  merchants, 
they  act  from  sincerity  itself ;  if  they  are  married  men,  they 
love  their  wives  from  chastity  itself;  and  so  on.  Their  life’s 
love  also  has  a  love  of  means,  as  its  substitute,  which  it  teaches 
and  leads  to  act  from  prudence,  and  clothes  in  garments  of 
zeal  for  the  truths  of  doctrine  and  at  the  same  time  for  the 
goods  of  life. 

111.  III.  That  the  internal  cannot  he  purified  from  the  com 
cupiscences  of  evil  so  long  as  evils  in  the  external  man  are  not 
removed ,  because  they  obstruct ,  follows  from  wdiat  was  said  above, 
that  the  external  of  a  man’s  thought  is  in  itself  such  as  is 
the  internal  of  his  thought,  and  that  they  adhere  together  not 
only  as  one  within,  but  also  as  from,  the  other ;  therefore  one 
of  them  cannot  be  separated  without  the  other.  So  it  is  with 
every  external  which  is  from  an  internal,  with  every  posterior 
which  is  from  a  prior,  and  with  every  effect  which  is  from  a 
cause.  How,  since  concupiscences,  together  with  craftiness, 
make  the  internal  of  thought  with  the  wicked,  and  the  delights 
of  concupiscences,  together  with  machinations,  make  the  ex¬ 
ternal  of  their  thought,  and  the  latter  are  joined  with  the 
former  in  one,  it  follows,  that  the  internal  cannot  be  purified 
from  concupiscences  so  long  as  evils  in  the  external  man  are 
not  removed.  It  must  be  observed,  that  it  is  a  man’s  internal 
will  which  is  in  concupiscences,  and  his  internal  understand¬ 
ing  which  is  in  craftiness  ;  also,  that  it  :s  his  external  will  which 
is  in  the  delights  of  concupiscences,  and  his  external  under* 

64 


TIIE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Ill,  112 


standing  wliicli  is  in  machinations  from  craftiness.  Every  one 
may  see  that  concupiscences  and  their  delights  make  one,  also 
that  craftiness  and  machinations  make  one,  and  that  these  four 
are  in  one  series,  and  make  together,  as  it  were,  one  bundle  : 
from  which  consideration  it  is  again  evident,  that  the  internal, 
which  consists  of  concupiscences,  cannot  be  cast  out  except  by 
the  removal  of  the  external,  which  consists  of  evils.  Concu¬ 
piscences  by  their  delights  produce  evils  ;  but  when  evils  are 
believed  to  be  allowable,  which  happens  by  consent  of  the  will 
and  understanding:,  then  the  delights  and  evils  make  one.  That 
consent  is  equivalent  to  act,  is  well  known  ;  and  is  also  what 
the  Lord  says  :  “  Whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after 
her  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart” 
(Matt.  v.  2S).  It  is  the  same  with  other  evils. 

112.  Hence  then,  it  may  appear,  that  in  order  to  a  man’s 
being  purified  from  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  evils  are  to  be 
entirely  removed  from  the  external  man  ;  for  until  this  is  done, 
there  is  no  outlet  given  to  concupiscences,  and  if  no  outlet  be 
given  to  them,  concupiscences  remain  within,  breathe  forth 
delights  from  themselves,  and  so  force  a  man  to  consent,  con¬ 
sequently,  to  action.  Concupiscences  enter  the  body  by  the 
external  of  thought ;  therefore  when  there  is  consent  in  the 
external  of  thought,  they  are  immediately  in  the  body,  the  de¬ 
light  which  is  felt  being  there.  That  such  as  is  the  mind,  such 
is  the  body,  consequently  the  whole  man,  may  be  seen  in  the  trea¬ 
tise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom, 
n.  362 — 370.  The  proposition  under  consideration  may  be  illus¬ 
trated  by  comparisons,  and  also  by  examples  : — By  comparisons 
thus  :  concupiscences  with  their  delights  may  be  compared  to 
fire,  which  the  more  it  is  fomented  the  more  it  burns  ;  and  the 
freer  its  course,  the  wider  it  spreads  itself,  until,  if  in  a  city, 
it  consumes  the  houses,  and  if  in  a  wood,  the  trees.  The  con¬ 
cupiscences  of  evil  are  also  compared  in  the  Word  to  fire,  and 
evils  proceeding  from  them  to  a  conflagration.  The  concupis¬ 
cences  of  evil  with  their  delights  appear  likewise  as  fires  in  the 
spiritual  world  ;  infernal  fire  being  nothing  else.  They  may 
also  be  compared  to  deluges  and  inundations  of  waters,  on  the 
removal  of  mounds  or  dvkes.  Thev  may  also  be  compared  to 
gangrenes  and  imposthumes,  which  bring  death  to  the  body  as 
they  spread,  or  are  not  cured.  By  examples ,  it  is  clearly  evident, 
that  if  evils  in  the  external  man  are  not  removed,  concupiscences 
with  their  delights  increase  and  exuberate.  A  thief,  in  propor 
tion  as  he  practises  stealing,  has  the  concupiscence  of  stealing, 
till  at  length  he  is  unable  to  desist.  The  same  is  true  of  a 
fraudulent  person,  in  proportion  as  he  defrauds.  It  is  the  same 
also  with  hatred  and  revenge,  with  luxury  and  intemperance, 
with  fornication  and  blasphemy.  It  is  weL  known  that  the  love 
of  dominion  grounded  in  the  love  of  self  increases  in  proportion 
65 


112—114 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


as  it  is  indulged,  and  in  like  manner  the  love  of  possessing  goods 
grounded  in  the  love  of  the  world  ;  it  appears  as  if  there  was  no 
bound  or  end  to  them.  From  these  considerations  it  is  evident, 
that  in  proportion  as  evils  in  the  external  man  are  unremoved, 
the  concupiscences  thereof  abound ;  and  in  proportion  as  evils 
are  freed  from  restraint,  concupiscences  increase. 

113.  A  man  cannot  perceive  the  concupiscences  of  his  own 
evil.  He  perceives  the  delights  of  them  indeed,  but  he  reflects 
little  upon  them ;  for  delights  occupy  the  thoughts,  and  take 
away  reflections  ;  therefc  re  if  he  did  not  from  some  other  source 
know  that  they  are  evils,  he  would  call  them  goods,  and  would 
commit  them  from  liberty  according  to  the  reason  of  his  thought ; 
and  wdien  he  does  this,  he  appropriates  them  to  himself.  In 
proportion  as  he  confirms  them  as  allowable,  he  enlarges  the 
court  of  his  reigning  love,  which  is  his  life’s  love.  Its  court  is 
composed  of  concupiscences  ;  for  they  are  as  it  were  its  ministers 
and  guards,  wdiereby  it  governs  the  exteriors  which  constitute 
its  kingdom.  But  such  as  the  king  is,  such  are  his  ministers 
and  guards,  and  such  is  his  kingdom  :  if  the  king  is  a  devil, 
then  his  ministers  and  guards  are  insanities,  and  the  people  of 
his  kingdom  are  falsities  of  every  kind,  wdiicli  his  ministers, 
whom  they  call  wdse,  although  they  are  insane,  by  reasonings 
from  fallacies  and  by  fantasies,  make  to  appear  as  truths,  and 
to  be  acknowledged  as  truths.  Can  such  a  state  of  a  man  be 
changed  otherwise  than  by  removing  evils  in  the  external  man  ? 
So  also  the  concupiscences  which  adhere  to  evils  are  removed  ; 
otherwise  no  egress  is  afforded  to  concupiscences,  for  they  are 
shut  in,  like  a  besieged  citv,  or  as  an  ulcer  skinned  over. 

114.  TV.  That  evils  in  the  external  man  cannot  be  removed 
by  the  Lord  but  by  means  of  the  man.  In  all  Christian  churches 
it  is  received  as  a  doctrine  that  a  man,  before  he  approaches 
the  holy  communion,  is  to  examine  himself,  to  see  and  acknow¬ 
ledge  his  sins  and  to  repent,  by  desisting  from  them  and  rejecting 
them  because  they  are  from  the  devil  ;  and  that  otherwise  his 
sins  are  not  forgiven,  and  he  is  condemned.  The  English, 
although  they  are  in  the  doctrine  of  faith  alone,  nevertheless, 
in  the  prayer  at  the  holy  communion,  openly  teach  self-exami¬ 
nation,  the  acknowledgment  and  confession  of  sins,  repentance, 
and  a  new  life,  threatening  those  who  do  not  comply  in  these 
words,  that  otherwise  the  devil  will  enter  into  them  as  he  did  into 
Judas ,  and  fill  them  with  all  iniquity ,  and  destroy  them  body  and 
send.  The  Germans,  Swedes,  and  Danes,  who  are  also  in  faith 
alone,  teach  the  same  in  the  prayer  at  the  holy  communion, 
tnreatemng  also  that  otherwise  infernal  punishment  and  eternal 
damnation  will  be  incurred  by  reason  of  the  mixture  of  what  is 
sacred  and  profane.  These  things  are  read  by  the  priest  with  a 
loud  voice  before  those  who  are  about  to  receive  the  Lord’s  supper, 
and  are  heard  by  them  with  a  full  acknowledgment  that  they 

66 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


114, 


115 


are  true.  Nevertheless,  the  same  persons,  when  they  hear  a 
sermon  the  same  day  on  faith  alone,  and  then  that  the  law  does 
not  condemn  them  because  the  Lord  has  fulfilled  it  for  them  ; 
that  from  themselves  they  cannot  do  any  good  but  what  is 
meritorious,  and  thus  that  works  have  nothing  of  salvation  in 
them,  but  faith  only ;  they  return  home  entirely  forgetful  of  their 
former  confession,  and  reject  it  in  proportion  as  they  think  of 
the  sermon  on  faith  alone.  Which  doctrine  now  is  true, — the 
latter  or  the  former  ?  (for  two  things  contrary  to  each  other 
cannot  both  be  true) — that  without  an  examination,  knowledge, 
acknowledgment,  confession,  and  rejection  of  sins,  therefore 
without  repentance,  there  is  no  remission  of  them,  consequently 
no  salvation,  but  eternal  damnation ;  or  that  such  things 
contribute  nothing  towards  salvation,  because  full  satisfaction 
for  all  the  sins  of  men  was  made  by  the  Lord  through  the  passion 
of  the  cross  for  those  who  are  in  faith,  and  that  those  who  are 
in  faith  only  with  a  confidence  that  it  is  so,  and  in  dependence 
on  the  imputation  of  the  Lord’s  merit,  are  without  sins,  and 
appear  before  God  like  those  who  have  their  faces  clean  washed  ? 
From  the  above  it  is  evident,  that  the  common  religion  of  all 
the  churches  in  the  Christian  world  is,  that  a  man  ought  to 
examine  himself,  to  see  and  acknowledge  his  sins,  and  after¬ 
wards  to  desist  from  them  ;  and  that  otherwise  there  is  no  ssl- 
vation,  but  condemnation.  That  this  moreover  is  Divine  Truth 
itself,  is  obvious  from  those  passages  in  the  Word  in  which  nun 
are  commanded  to  repent;  as  from  these  :  Jesus  said,  “Drirg 
forth  therefore  fruits  worthy  of  Repentance.”  “  Now  also  the 
axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  trees  :  every  tree  therefore  which 
brinseth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the 
fire”  (Luke  iii.  8,  9).  Jesus  said,  u  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall 
all  likewise  perish”  (Luke  xiii.  3,  5).  u  Jesus  preached  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  saying  Repent  ye,  and  believe 
the  gospel”  (Mark  i.  Id,  15).  Jesus  sent  forth  his  disciples, 
who  u  went  out,  and  preached  that  men  should  repent”  (Mark 
vi.  12).  Jesus  said  unto  the  apostles,  that  they  should  preach 
“  Repf.nt.vnce  and  Remission  of  Sins  among  all  Nations” 
(Luke  xxiv.  4-7).  u  John  did  preach  the  baptism  of  Repentance 
for  the  Remission  of  Sins”  (Mark  i.  4 ;  Luke  iii.  3).  Think 
on  this  subject  also  from  some  degree  of  understanding ;  and  if 
you  have  any  religion,  you  will  see  that  repentance  from  sins 
is  the  way  to  heaven,  that  faith  separate  from  repentance  is  not 
faith,  and  that  those  who  are  not  in  faith  in  consequence  of  not 
being  in  repentance  are  in  the  way  to  hell. 

115.  Those  who  are  in  faith  separate  from  charity,  arfi  have 
confirmed  themselves  therein  from  the  savins;  of  Raul' to  the 

-  fj  C _ ' 

Romans,  “  that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of 
the  law”  (iii.  28),  adore  this  saying  as  those  who  adore  the  sun, 
and  become  like  those  who,  fixing  their  eyes  steadily  upon  the 
67  '  f 


115-417 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


sun,  wliereby  the  sight  becomes  dim,  do  not  see  any  thing  in  the 
midst  of  light ;  for  they  do  not  see  what  is  understood  there  by 
the  deeds  of  the  law, — that  they  are  not  the  commandments  of 
the  decalogue,  but  the  rituals  described  by  Moses  in  his  books, 
which  are  everywhere  there  called  the  law  ;  and,  therefore,  lest 
the  commandments  of  the  decalogue  should  be  understood,  he 
explains  it  by  saying,  “  Do  we  then  make  void  the  law  through 
faith  ?  God  forbid  :  yea,  we  establish  the  law”  (verse  31  of  the 
same  chap.).  Those  who,  from  the  above  saying,  have  confirmed 
themselves  in  faith  separate  from  charity,  by  looking  at  that 
passage  as  at  the  sun,  do  not  see  where  Paul  enumerates  the 
laws  of  faith,  that  they  are  the  very  works  of  charity  ;  and  what 
is  faith  without  its  laws  ?  Neither  do  they  see  where  he  enu¬ 
merates  evil  works,  saying  that  those  who  do  them  cannot  enter 
into  heaven.  From  which  it  is  evident,  how  much  blindness  is 
induced  from  this  one  passage  misunderstood. 

116.  The  reason  why  evils  in  the  external  man  cannot  be 
removed  but  by  means  of  the  man  is,  because  it  is  of  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord  that  whatsoever  a  man  hears,  sees, 
thinks,  wills,  speaks,  and  does,  should  appear  altogether  as  his 
own.  That  without  this  appearance  a  man  would  have  no  re¬ 
ception  of  divine  truth,  no  determination  to  do  good,  no  appro¬ 
priation  of  love  and  wisdom,  or  of  charity  and  faith,  and  thence 
no  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  consequently  no  reformation  and 
regeneration,  and  thereby  salvation,  is  shown  above,  n.  71 — 
05,  and  the  following.  That  without  this  appearance  it  is 
evident  there  can  neither  be  repentance  from  sins  nor  even 
faith  ;  and  that  a  man,  without  that  appearance,  is  not  a  man, 
but  is  void  of  rational  life  like  a  beast.  Let  him  who  is  so  dis¬ 
posed  consult  his  own  reason,  as  to  whether  it  does  not  appear 
that  a  man  thinks  from  himself  of  good  and  truth,  as  well  spirit¬ 
ual  as  moral  and  civil.  Let  him  then  receive  this  doctrinal, — 
that  all  good  and  truth  is  from  the  Lord,  and  nothing  from  the 
man  :  and  will  he  not  acknowledge  this  consequence,  that  a  man 
ought  to  do  good  ahd  think  truth  as  from  himself,  but  still  to 
acknowledge  that  they  are  from  the  Lord  ;  therefore,  also,  that 
a  man  ought  to  remove  evils  as  from  himself,  but  nevertheless  to 
acknowledge  that  he  does  it  from  the  Lord  ? 

117.  There  are  many  who  do  not  know  that  they  are  in 
evils,  because  they  do  not  commit  them  in  externals  ;  for  they 
are  afraid  of  civil  laws,  as  well  as  of  the  loss  of  reputation,  and 
thus  they  acquire  a  custom  and  habit  of  shunning  evils  as 
detrimental  to  their  honor  and  interest.  But  if  they  do  not 
shun  evils  from  a  principle  of  religion,  because  they  are  sins, 
and  against  God,  then  the  concupiscences  of  evils  with  their 
delights  remain  in  them,  like  impure  waters  obstructed  or  stag¬ 
nant.  Let  them  explore  their  thoughts  and  intentions,  and 
they  will  find  these  concupiscences,  provided  they  know  what 

63 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


117—119 


sin  is.  There  are  many  such  persons,  who,  having  confirmed 
themselves  in  faith  separate  from  charity,  and  because  they 
believe  that  the  law  does  not  condemn,  do  not  even  attend  to 
sins,  and  indeed  doubt  whether  there  be  any  such  thing,  or 
think  that  if  there  be,  they  are  not  such  in  the  sight  of  God, 
because  they  are  forgiven.  Such  also  are  natural  moralists,  who 
think  civil  and  moral  life,  with  the  prudence  belonging  to  it, 
effects  all  things,  and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing.  And, 
such  are  those  who  studiously  affect  the  reputation  and  name 
of  honesty  and  sincerity  for  the  sake  of  honor  or  interest.  But 
those  who  are  such,  and  at  the  same  time  spurn  religion,  be¬ 
come  after  death  spirits  of  concupiscences,  who  appear  to  them¬ 
selves  as  if  they  were  real  men,  but  to  others  at  a  distance  as 

i  * 

priapuses  ;  and  like  owls  they  see  in  the  dark,  and  not  at  all  in 
the  lio’lit. 

c  )  _ 

118.  From  these  considerations  now  follows  the  confirmation 
of  Article  V.,  which  is,  that  therefore  a  man  ought  to  remove  evils 
from  the  external  man  as  from  himself.  This  may  also  be  seen 
explained  in  The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  New  Jerusalem, 
in  three  articles  ;  one  of  which  is,  that  no  one  can  shun  evils  as 
sins,  so  as  interiorly  to  have  an  aversion  for  them,  except  by 
combats  against  them,  n.  92 — 100  ;  another,  that  a  man  ought 
to  shun  evils  as  sins,  and  to  fight  against  them  as  from  himself, 
n.  101 — 107 ;  the  third,  that  if  any  one  shuns  evils  from  any 
other  cause  than  because  they  are  sins,  he  does  not  shun  them, 
but  only  causes  them  not  to  appear  before  the  world,  n.  108 
—113.  ^ 

119.  VI.  That  the  Lord  then  purifies  him  from  the  concupi¬ 
scences  of  evil  in  the  internal  man ,  and  from  evils  themselves  in  the 
external.  The  reason  why  the  Lord  purifies  a  man  from  the 
concupiscences  of  evil,  when  the  man  removes  evils  as  from 
himself,  is  because  the  Lord  cannot  purify  him  until  he  does 
this ;  for  there  are  evils  in  the  external  man,  and  concupiscen¬ 
ces  of  evil  in  the  internal,  and  these  cohere  together  like  the 
roots  of  a  tree  to  their  trunk.  Unless,  therefore,  the  evils  are 
removed,  there  is  no  opening ;  for  they  obstruct  and  close  the 
door,  which  cannot  be  opened  by  the  Lord  except  by  means  of 
the  man  as  was  shown  above.  When  a  man  does  so  open  the 
door  as  from  himself,  then  the  Lord  immediately  extirpates  the 
concupiscences.  Another  reason  is,  because  the  Lord  acts  upon 
the  inmost  of  a  man,  and  from  the  inmost  upon  the  next  in 
order,  even  to  the  ultimates  ;  and  in  the  ultimates  the  man  is 
entire.  So  long  therefore  as  the  ultimates  are  kept  closed  by 
the  man  himself,  there  cannot  be  any  purification  effected  by 
the  Lord,  but  only  such  an  operation  in  the  interiors  as  the 
Lord  produces  in  hell,  of  which  the  man  is  a  form  who  is  in 
concupiscences  and  at  the  same  time  in  evils  ;  and  that  operation 
is  a  disposition  only  that  one  may  not  destrov  another,  and 

69 


119—121 


AXGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


that  goodness  and  truth  may  not  he  violated.  Tliat  the  Lord 
continually  urges  and  presses  that  a  man  may  open  the  door 
to  him,  is  evident  from  his  own  words  in  the  Revelation,  u  Be¬ 
hold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  :  if  any  man  hear  my 
voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup 
with  him,  and  he  with  me”  (iii.  20). 

120.  A  man  knows  nothing  at  all  of  the  state  of  the  inte¬ 
rior  of  his  mind,  or  of  his  internal  man,  and  yet  there  are  in¬ 
finite  things  there,  not  one  of  which  comes  to  his  knowledge  ; 
for  the  internal  of  a  man’s  thought,  or  his  internal  man,  is 
his  spirit  itself,  and  in  it  there  are  things  as  infinite  or  innumer¬ 
able  as  there  are  in  a  man’s  body.  They  must,  indeed,  be  fully 
as  innumerable  ;  for  a  man’s  spirit  is  in  its  form  a  man,  and  all 
things  thereof  correspond  to  all  the  things  of  a  man  as  to  his 
body.  Row,  since  a  man  has  no  knowledge  from  any  sensation, 
how  his  mind  or  soul  operates  upon  all  things  of  his  body  jointly 
and  severally,  so  neither  does  he  know  how  the  Lord  operates 
upon  all  things  of  his  mind  or  soul,  that  is,  upon  all  things  ot 
his  spirit.  The  operation  is  continual  and  the  man  has  no  share 
in  it ;  but  yet  the  Lord  cannot  purify  him  from  any  concupi¬ 
scence  of  evil  in  his  spirit  or  internal  man,  so  long  as  he  keeps 
his  external  closed.  There  are  evils  by  which  a  man  keeps  his 
external  closed,  each  of  which  appears  to  him  as  one,  although 
there  are  infinite  numbers  in  each  ;  and  when  a  man  removes 
this  seeming  one,  the  Lord  removes  the  infinite  numbers  in  it. 
This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  Lord’s  purifying  a  man  from  the 
concupiscences  of  evil  in  the  internal  man,  and  from  evils  them¬ 
selves  in  the  external. 

121.  It  is  thought  by  many,  that  merely  to  believe  that 
which  the  church  teaches,  purifies  a  man  from  evils  ;  and  it  is 
thought  by  some,  that  to  do  good  purifies  ;  by  some,  to  know, 
speak,  and  teach  such  things  as  are  of  the  church  ;  by  some, 
to  read  the  Word  and  books  of  piety;  by  some,  to  frequent 
churches,  to  hear  sermons,  and  especially  to  receive  the  holy 
supper  ;  by  some,  to  renounce  the  world,  and  study  piety ;  by 
some,  to  confess  themselves  guilty  of  all  sins  ;  and  so  on.  But, 
nevertheless,  none  of  these  things  do  at  all  purify  a  man  unless 
lie  examines  himself,  perceives  his  sins,  acknowledges  them, 
condemns  himself  on  account  of  them,  and  repents  by  desisting 
from  them  ;  and  all  these  things  he  must  do  as  from  himself, 
but  still  from  an  acknowledgment  of  the  heart  that  he  does 
them  from  the  Lord.  Before  they  are  done,  the  acts  just  men¬ 
tioned  avail  nothing,  for  they  are  either  meritorious  or  hypocri¬ 
tical  ;  and  they  appear  in  heaven  before  the  angels  either  like 
beautiful  harlots  smelling  offensively  from  their  defilement,  like 
deformed  women  appearing  handsome  by  means  of  paint,  like 
actors  and  mimics  on  the  stage,  or  like  apes  in  human  apparel. 
But  when  evils  are  removed,  the  acts  before  enumerated  become 

70 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE- 


121—123 


acts  of  tlie  love,  and  then  the  doers  thereof  appear  in  heaven 
before  the  angels  as  beautiful  men,  and  as  their  associates  and 
companions. 

122.  But  it  should  be  well  known,  that  a  man  in  doing  the 
work  of  repentance  ought  to  look  up  to  the  Lord  alone.  If  he 
looks  up  to  God  the  Father  only,  he  cannot  be  purified  ;  nor  if 
to  the  Father  for  the  sake  of  the  Son  ;  nor  if  to  the  Son  as  a 
man  only ;  for  there  is  one  God,  and  the  Lord  is  he ;  for  his 
divine  and  human  essence  constitute  one  person,  as  is  shown  in 
The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord. 
In  order  that  every  one  in  the  work  of  repentance  might  look  to 
the  Lord  alone,  lie  instituted  the  holy  supper,  which  confirms,  to 
those  who  repent,  the  remission  of  sins  ;  and  it  confirms  it,  be¬ 
cause  in  that  supper  or  communion  every  one  is  kept  looking  to 
the  Lord  only. 

123.  TIL  That  it  is  the  continual  endeavour  of  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord,  to  join  a  man  to  himself  and  himself  to 
a  man ,  that  he  may  he  able  to  give  him  the  felicities  of  eternal 
life  /  which  cannot  he  done ,  except  in  proportion  as  evils  with  their 
concupiscences  are  removed.  That  it  is  the  continual  endeavour 
of  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  to  join  a  man  to  himself 
and  himself  to  a  man  ;  that  it  is  this  conjunction  which  is  called 
reformation  and  regeneration ;  and  that  a  man  has  thence  salva- 
tion,  was  shown  above,  n.  27 — 15.  Mho  does  not  see  that 
conjunction  with  God  is  salvation  and  eternal  life  ?  This  is  seen 
by  every  one  who  believes  that  men  by  creation  are  images  and 
likenesses  of  God  (Gen.  i.  26,  27),  and  who  knows  what  an 
image  and  likeness  of  God  is.  Who  that  has  sound  reason, 
when  he  thinks  from  his  rationality,  and  wills  to  think  from  his 
liberty,  can  believe  that  there  are  three  Gods,  equal  in  essence, 
and  that  the  Divine  Esse  or  Divine  Essence  can  be  divided  ? 
That  there  is  a  trine  in  one  God,  may  be  thought  and  compre¬ 
hended,  as  are  comprehended  the  soul  and  body  in  an  angel 
and  in  a  man,  and  the  sphere  of  life  proceeding  from  them  : 
and  as  this  trine  in  one  exists  in  the  Lord  only,  it  follows,  that 
conjunction  must  be  with  him.  Make  use  of  your  rationality, 
and  at  the  same  time  of  your  liberty  of  thinking,  and  you  will 
see  this  truth  in  its  light,  only  first  admitting,  that  there  is  a 
God,  and  that  there  is  a  heaven  and  eternal  life.  Now  since 
God  is  one,  and  man  by  creation  was  made  an  image  and  like 
ness  of  him,  and  since,  by  infernal  love,  and  its  concupiscences 
and  their  delights,  he  came  into  the  love  of  all  evils,  and  thence 
destroved  in  himself  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  it  follows, 
that  it  is  the  continual  endeavour  of  the  Divine  Providence  of 
the  Lord  to  conjoin  a  man  to  himself  and  himself  to  a  man, 
and  thus  to  make  a  man  into  his  image.  It  follows  also,  that 
this  is  in  order  that  the  Lord  may  be  able  to  give  a  man  the 
felicities  of  eternal  life,  for  such  is  the  nature  of  the  divine 

71 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


123,  124 

love.  But  the  reason  why  he  cannot  give  those  felicities,  nor 
make  a  man  an  image  of  himself,  unless  a  man  as  from  himself 
remove  sins  in  the  external  man,  is,  because  the  Lord  is  not 
only  divine  love,  hut  also  divine  wisdom,  and  divine  love  does 
nothing  but  from  and  according  to  its  divine  wisdom.  It  is 
according  to  his  divine  wisdom  that  a  man  cannot  he  conjoined 
to  the  Lord,  and  so  reformed,  regenerated,  and  saved,  unless 
he  is  permitted  to  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  for 
thereby  a  man  is  a  man  ;  and  whatsoever  is  according  to  the 
divine  wisdom  of  the  Lord,  that  also  is  of  his  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence. 

124.  To  what  has  been  said  I  will  add  two  arcana  of  angelic 
wisdom,  from  which  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Providence  may 
be  seen.  The  first  is,  that  the  Lord  never  acts  upon  any  par¬ 
ticular  principle  in  a  man  separately,  but  upon  all  together  : 
the  other  is,  that  the  Lord  acts  from  inmost  principles  and  from 
ultimate  or  lowest  principles  at  the  same  time.  The  reason  why 
the  Lord  never  acts  upon  any  particular  principle  in  a  man  sepia- 
rately ,  but  upon  all  together ,  is,  because  all  things  of  a  man  are 
in  such  a  connection,  and  bv  their  connection  in  such  a  form, 
that  they  act  not  as  several,  but  as  one.  It  is  known  that  a 
man  is  in  such  a  connection,  and  by  that  connection  in  such  a 
form  as  to  his  body  ;  and  in  a  similar  form,  by  virtue  of  the 
connection  of  the  whole,  is  the  human  mind  also,  for  that  is 
the  spiritual  man,  and  is  indeed  truly  a  man.  Hence  it  is  that 
a  man’s  spirit,  which  is  his  mind  in  the  body,  is  a  man  in  every 
particular  of  its  form,  and  therefore  after  death  a  man  is  equally 
a  man  as  in  the  world,  with  this  difference  only,  that  he  has  put 
off  that  covering  which  constituted  his  body  in  the  world.  How, 
as  the  human  form  is  such,  that  all  its  parts  make  a  one  which 
acts  as  one,  it  follows,  that  one  part  cannot  be  removed  out  of 
its  place  and  changed  as  to  its  state,  but  in  agreement  with  the 
rest ;  for  if  one  were  removed  out  of  its  place  and  changed  as 
to  its  state,  the  form  which  must  act  as  one  would  suffer.  From 
this  it  is  evident,  that  the  Lord  never  acts  upon  any  particular 
part  or  principle,  unless  upon  all  together.  Thus  does  he  act 
upon  the  universal  angelic  heaven,  because  that  in  his  sight  is 
as  one  man  ;  so  also  does  he  act  upon  every  angel,  because  every 
angel  is  a  heaven  in  its  least  form ;  and  so  also  does  he  act  upon 
every  man,  proximately  upon  all  things  of  his  mind,  and  through 
these  upon  all  things  of  his  body  ;  for  a  man’s  mind  is  his  spirit, 
and  according  to  its  conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  an  angel,  and 
his  body  is  obedience.  But  it  is  to  be  well  observed,  that  the 
Lord  acts  also  singularly,  yea  most  singularly  upon  every  par¬ 
ticular  of  a  man,  yet  at  the  same  time  through  all  things  of 
his  form ;  but  he  does  not  change  the  state  of  any  part,  or  of 
any  thing  in  particular,  except  so  far  as  is  suitable  to  the  whole 
form.  Of  this,  however,  more  will  be  said  in  what  follows, 
72 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


124,  125 

wliere  it  will  be  demonstrated,  that  the  Divine  Providence  of 
the  Lord  is  universal,  because  it  is  in  particulars,  and  that  it  is 
particular  because  it  is  universal.  The  reason  why  the  Lord  acts 
from  in  most  and  f  rom  ultimate  principles  at  the  same  time ,  is, 
because  in  this  way  and  no  other  all  and  singular  things  are 
contained  in  connection ;  intermediate  principles  depending 
successively  upon  the  inmost  even  to  the  ultimate,  and  in  ulti¬ 
mate  principles  they  exist  all  together ;  for  it  is  shown  in  the 
treatise  On  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  part 
the  third,  that  in  the  ultimate  principle  there  is  the  simultane¬ 
ous  derived  from  the  first  of  all  principles.  Hence  also  it  is, 
that  the  Lord  from  eternity,  or  Jehovah,  came  into  the  world, 
and  there  put  on  and  assumed  the  human  nature  in  ultimate 
principles,  that  he  might  be  from  first  principles  and  in  ultimate 
at  the  same  time ;  thus  from  first  principles  by  ultimate  might 
govern  the  universal  world,  and  so  save  men  ;  whom  he  is  able 
to  save  according  to  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence,  which 
are  also  the  laws  of  his  divine  wisdom.  In  this  manner,  there¬ 
fore,  is  true,  what  is  known  in  all  Christian  countries,  that  no 
mortal  could  have  been  saved,  except  the  Lord  had  come  into 
the  world,  respecting  which  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jeru¬ 
salem  concerning  Faith,  h.  35,  may  be  consulted.  It  is  (.11 
this  account  that  the  Lord  is  called  the  First  and  the  Last. 

125.  These  angelic  arcana  are  premised,  in  order  that  it 
may  be  comprehended,  how  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord 
operates,  that  he  may  conjoin  a  man  to  himself,  and  himself  to 
a  man.  This  is  not  effected  upon  a  particular  of  a  man  sepa¬ 
rately,  but  upon  the  whole  of  him  together ;  and  it  is  done  from 
his  inmost  and  his  ultimate  principles  at  the  same  time.  His 
life’s  love  is  the  inmost  of  a  man ;  the  things  which  are  in  the 
external  of  his  thought  are  the  ultimates  ;  and  the  things  wdiich 
are  in  the  internal  of  his  thought  are  the  intermediates.  The 
nature  and  quality  of  these  principles,  in  a  wicked  man,  wTas 
shown  in  the  foregoing  pages  ;  from  wdiich  consideration  it  is 
again  evident,  that  the  Lord  cannot  act  from  inmost  and  ulti¬ 
mate  principles  at  the  same  time,  except  together  with  a  man, 
for  a  man  is  together  wdth  the  Lord  in  ultimate  principles ; 
therefore,  as  a  man  acts  in  ultimate  principles,  which  are  at  his 
disposal,  because  subject  to  his  free-will,  so  the  Lord  acts  from 
his  inmost  principles,  and  upon  the  successive  to  the  ultimate. 
The  things  which  are  in  a  man’s  inmost  principles,  and  in  the 
successive  from  the  inmost  to  the  ultimate,  are  altogether  un- 
known  to  him,  and  therefore  he  is  totallv  ignorant  how  and 

7  t/ 

what  the  Lord  works  there ;  but  since  they  cohere  as  one  with 
the  ultimate  principles,  it  is  not  therefore  necessary  for  a  man 
to  know  more  than  that  he  ought  to  shun  evils  as  sins,  and 
look  up  to  the  Loid.  In  this  and  in  no  other  way  can  his  life’s 
73 


125—128 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


love,  which  by  birth  is  infernal,  be  removed  by  the  Lord,  and 
a  love  of  celestial  life  be  implanted  in  its  place. 

126.  When  the  love  of  celestial  life  is  implanted  by  the 
Lord  in  place  of  the  love  of  infernal  life,  then,  in  place  of  the 
concupiscences  of  evil  and  falsity  are  implanted  affections  of 
good  and  truth,  in  place  of  the  delights  of  the  concupiscences 
of  evil  and  falsity  are  implanted  the  delights  of  the  affections 
of  good,  and  in  place  of  the  evils  of  infernal  love  are  implanted 
the  goods  of  celestial  love ;  then,  also,  instead  of  cunning  is 
implanted  prudence,  and  instead  of  thoughts  of  malice  are  im¬ 
planted  thoughts  of  wisdom.  Thus  a  man  is  born  again,  and 
becomes  a  new  man.  What  goods  succeed  in  the  place  of  evils, 
may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  New  Jeru¬ 
salem,  n.  67 — 73,  74 — 79,  80 — 86,  87 — 91.  Also,  that  in 
proportion  as  a  man  shuns  and  turns  away  from  evils  as  sins, 
he  loves  the  truths  of  wisdom,  n.  32 — 41  ;  and  that  in  the 
same  proportion  he  possesses  faith,  and  becomes  spiritual,  n. 
42—52. 

127.  That  it  is  according  to  the  religion  common  in  the 
universal  Christian  world,  that  a  man  should  examine  himself, 
perceive  his  sins,  acknowledge  them,  confess  them  before  God, 
and  desist  from  them,  and  that  this  is  repentance,  remission  of 
sins,  and  thence  salvation,  was  shown  above  from  the  prayers 
read  before  the  holy  communion  in  all  the  Christian  churches. 
The  same  may  also  appear  from  the  creed  that  has  its  name 
fiom  Athanasius,  which  likewise  is  received  in  the  whole  Chris¬ 
tian  world,  and  at  the  end  of  which  are  these  words  : — ■“  The 
Lord  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  at  whose 
coming  those  that  have  done  good  shall  go  into  life  everlasting, 
and  those  that  have  done  evil  into  everlasting  fire.” 

128.  Who  does  not  know  from  the  Word,  that  the  life  of 

every  one  after  death  is  according  to  his  actions  ?  Open  the 
Word,  read  it,  and  you  will  clearly  see  it ;  but  in  this  case  remove 
your  thoughts  from  faith,  and  justification  by  it  alone.  That 
the  Lord  in  his  Word  everywhere  teaches  this,  let  these  few 
passages  testify :  “  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good 
fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.  Therefore  by  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them”  (Matt.  vii.  19,  20).  “  Many  will 

say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in 
thy  name  ?  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works  ?  And 
then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you :  depart  from 
me,  ye  that  work  iniquity”  (Matt.  vii.  22,  23).  a  Whosoever 
heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doetii  them,  I  will  liken 
him  unto  a  wise  man,  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock  :  but 
every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them 
not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which  built  his  house 
upon  the  sand”  (Matt.  vii.  24.  26  ;  Luke  vi.  46 — 49).  “  The  Son 

74 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


128 


of  Man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  then  he  shall 

REWARD  EVERY  MAN  ACCORDING  TO  HIS  WORKS”  (Matt.  Nvi.  27). 
u  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  yon,  and  given  to  a 
nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof”  (Matt.  xxi.  43). 
u  Jesus  said,  My  mother  and  my  brethren  are  these,  which 
hear  the  word  of  God  and  do  it”  (Luke  viii.  21).  “  Then  ye 

shall  begin  to  stand  without  and  to  knock  at  the  door,  saying, 
Lord,  open  unto  us  ;  but  he  shall  answer  and  say  unto  you,  1 
know  you  not  whence  ye  are  ;  depart  from  me  all  ye  workers 
of  iniquity”  (Luke  xiii.  25 — 27).  u  And  shall  come  forth,  they 
that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life  ;  and  thev  that 
have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation”  (John  v. 
29).  “  We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  :  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth  his  will,  him  he  heareth” 
(ix.  31).  u  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do 
them”  (John  xiii.  17).  “He  that  hath  my  commandments, 
and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me  ;  and  I  will  love 
him,  and  will  come  to  him,  and  will  make  my  abode  with  him 
(John  xiv.  15,  21 — 24).  “  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  what¬ 

soever  I  command  you.  I  have  chosen  you,  that  ye  should 
bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain” 
(John  xv.  14,  16).  “  The  Lord  said  unto  John,  Unto  the  angel 

of  the  church  of  Ephesus  write,  I  know  thy  works  :  I  have 
against  thee,  that  thou  has  left  thy  first  love,  repent  and  do 
T]ie  first  works;  or  else  I  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of 
h  s  place”  (Rev.  ii.  1,  2,  4,  5).  “  Unto  the  angel  of  the  church 

of  Smyrna  write,  I  know  thy  works”  (Rev.  ii.  8).  u  Ufito  the 
angel  of  the  church  in  Pergamos  write,  I  know  tiiy  works. 
Repent”  (Rev.  ii.  12,  13,  16).  u  Unto  the  angel  of  the  church 
in  Thyatira  write,  I  know  tiiy  works  xnd  charity  ;  and  thy 
last  works  to  be  more  than  the  first”  (Rev.  ii.  18).  “  Unto 

the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis  write,  I  know  thy  works, 
that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead.  I  have 
NOT  FOUND  THY  WORKS  PERFECT  BEFORE  God.  RePENt”  (Rev. 

iii.  1,  2,  3).  “  And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia 

write,  I  know  tiiy  works”  (Rev.  iii.  7,  8).  u  Unto  the  angel 
of  the  church  of  the  Laodiceans  write,  I  know  thy  works. 
Repent”  (Rev.  iii.  14,  15,  19).  “  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven 

saving,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 


henceforth  ;  their  works  do  follow  them”  (Rev.  xiv.  13). 
u  A  book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life,  and  the  dead 
were  judged,  all  according  to  their  works”  (Rev.  xx.  12,  13). 
u  Behold,  I  come  quickly ;  and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give 
every  man  according  to  his  work”  (Rev.  xxii.  12).  These 
passages  are  in  the  Yew  Testament :  there  are  still  more  in  the 
Old,  out  of  which  I  will  adduce  only  this  :  “  Stand  in  the  gate 
of  the  Lord’s  house,  and  proclaim  there  this  word  :  Thus  saitli 
Jehovah  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  Amend  your  ways  and 


128,  129 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


your  doings ;  trust  ye  not  in  lying  words,  saying,  The  temple 
ot  Jehovah,  The  temple  of  Jehovah,  The  temple  of  Jehovah  are 
these.  A  ill  ye  steal,  murder,  and  commit  adultery,  and  swear 
falsely,  and  come  and  stand  before  me,  in  this  house,  which  is 
called  by  my  name,  and  say,  We  are  delivered  to  do  all  these 
abominations  ?  Is  this  house  become  a  den  of  robbers  ?  Behold, 
even  I  have  seen  it,  saith  Jehovah”  (Jer.  vii.  2,  3,  J,  9,  10,  11). 


THAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  THAT  A  MAN 
SHOULD  NOT  BE  FORCED  BY  EXTERNAL  MEANS  TO  THINK 
AND  WILL,  AND  SO  TO  BELIEVE  AND  LOVE  THE  THINGS 
WHICH  ARE  OF  RELIGION ;  BUT  THAT  A  MAN  SHOULD  LEAD, 
AND  SOMETIMES  FORCE  HIMSELF  TO  IT. 

129.  This  law  of  the  Divine  Providence  follows  from  the 
two  preceding,  which  are,  That  a  man  should  act  from  liberty 
according  to  reason,  of  which  see  n.  71 — 99  :  and  this  from 
himself,  although  from  the  Lord,  therefore  as  if  from  himself, 
of  which  see  n.  100 — 128.  And  since  to  be  forced  is  not  to  act 
from  liberty  according  to  reason,  and  is  not  from  himself,  but 
from  what  is  not  liberty  and  from  another,  therefore  this  law 
of  the  Divine  Providence  follows  in  order  after  the  two  former. 
Everyone  knows  also  that  no  person  can  be  forced  to  think 
that  which  he  will  not  think,  and  to  will  that  which  he  thinks 
not  to  will ;  or  therefore  to  believe  that  which  he  does  not  be¬ 
lieve,  and  especially  that  which  he  will  not  believe  ;  or  to  love 
that  which  he  does  not  love,  and  especially  that  which  he  will  not 
love  ;  for  a  man's  spirit,  or  his  mind,  is  in  full  liberty  to  think, 
will,  believe,  and  love.  It  is  in  this  liberty  by  virtue  of  influx 
from  the  spiritual  world,  which  does  not  force,  (for  a  man’s 
spirit  or  mind  is  in  that  world  ;)  but  not  by  virtue  of  influx 
from  the  natural  world,  which  is  not  received,  unless  they  act 
as  one.  A  man  may  be  compelled  to  say,  that  he  thinks  and 
wills  such  and  such  things,  and  that  he  believes  and  loves  such 
and  such  things  ;  but  if  they  are  not  or  do  not  become  objects 
of  his  affection  and  thence  of  his  reason,  he  nevertheless  does 
not  think,  will,  believe,  and  love  them.  A  man  may  be  com¬ 
pelled  also  to  speak  in  favour  of  religion,  and  to  act  according 
to  it ;  but  he  cannot  be  compelled  to  think  in  favour  of  it  from 
any  faith,  and  to  will  it  from  any  love.  Every  one  also,  in 
kingdoms  where  justice  and  judgment  are  preserved,  is  re¬ 
strained  from  speaking  and  acting  against  religion  ;  yet  still, 
no  one  can  be  forced  to  think  and  will  in  favour  of  it ;  for  it  is 
in  the  liberty  of  every  one  to  think  with  hell,  and  to  will  in 
76 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


129,  130 


favour  of  it,  as  likewise  to  think  and  will  in  favour  of  heaven. 
But  reason  teaches  what  the  one  is,  and  what  the  other  ;  also 
what  portion  awaits  the  one,  and  what  the  other ;  and  the  will 
from  reason  has  its  option  and  election.  Hence  it  may  appear 
that  what  is  external  cannot  force  what  is  internal :  neverthe¬ 
less,  this  is  sometimes  the  case  ;  hut  that  to  do  so  is  hurtful, 
will  be  shown  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  no  one  is  reformed 
by  miracles  and  signs,  because  they  force.  II.  That  no  one  is 
reformed  by  visions  and  by  conversations  with  the  dead,  because 
they  force.  III.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  threats  and  pun¬ 
ishments,  because  they  force.  IY.  That  no  one  is  reformed 
in  states  which  are  not  of  rationality  and  liberty.  Y.  That  it 
is  not  contrary  to  rationality  and  liberty  for  a  man  to  force  him¬ 
self.  YI.  That  the  external  man  is  to  be  reformed  by  the  in¬ 
ternal,  and  not  contrariwise. 

130.  I.  Thai  no  one  is  reformed  by  miracles  and  signs ,  be¬ 
cause  they  force.  It  has  been  previously  shown,  that  a  man  has 
an  internal  and  an  external  principle  of  thought;  and  that  the 
Lord  in  a  man  flows  through  the  internal  of  thought  into  its  ex- 
ternal  and  so  teaches  and  leads  him  ;  also,  that  it  is  from  tl  e 
Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  that  a  man  should  act  from  li¬ 
berty  according  to  reason ;  but  both  these  laws  of  man’s  beir  g 
would  be  nullified  if  miracles  were  performed,  and  the  man 
by  them  were  compelled  to  believe.  That  such  would  be  the 
case,  may  be  rationally  seen  thus  :  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
miracles  induce  a  belief,  and  strongly  persuade,  that  that  is 
true  which  is  said  and  taught  by  him  who  performs  miracles  ; 
and  that  this  at  first  so  occupies  the  external  of  man’s  thought,  as 
in  a  manner  to  fascinate  and  enchain  it :  but  the  man  is  hereby 
deprived  of  his  two  faculties,  called  rationality  and  liberty,  by 
which  he  is  enabled  to  act  from  freedom  according  to  reason ; 
and  then  the  Lord  cannot  flow-in  through  the  internal  into  the 


external  of  his  thought,  but  only  leaves  him  to  confirm  from 
his  rationality  that  thing  which  by  the  miracle  was  made  an 
object  of  his  belief.  The  state  of  a  man’s  thought  is  such,  that 
from  the  internal  thereof  he  sees  a  thing  in  the  external  as  it 
were  in  a  glass  ;  for,  as  was  said  above,  a  man  can  see  his 
thought,  which  can  onlv  be  from  interior  thought.  When  he 
sees  an  object  as  in  a  glass,  he  can  also  turn  it  this  way  or 
that,  and  fashion  it,  till  it  appears  to  himself  beautiful ;  and 
this  object,  if  it  be  a  truth,  may  be  compared  to  a  living  and 
beautiful  virgin  or  youth.  But  if  the  man  cannot  turn  it  this 
way  or  that,  and  so  fashion  it,  but  only  believe  it  from  persua¬ 
sion  induced  by  a  miracle,  in  this  case,  if  it  be  a  truth,  it  may 
be  compared  to  a  virgin  or  youth  cut  out  of  stone  or  wc  od,  in 
which  there  is  no  life.  It  may  also  be  compared  to  an  object 
constantly  before  the  sight,  which,  itself  only  being  seen,  hides 
all  that  is  on  each  side  and  behind  it.  It  may  also  be  compared 
77 


130—132 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


to  one  continual  sound  in  the  ear,  which  takes  away  the  per¬ 
ception  of  harmony  arising  from  several  sounds.  Such  is  the 
degree  of  blindness  and  deafness  induced  in  the  human  mind 
by  miracles.  It  is  the  same  with  every  thing  confirmed,  which 
is  not  seen  from  some  rationality  before  it  is  confirmed. 

131.  From  these  considerations  it  may  appear,  that  faith 
induced  by  miracles  is  not  faith,  but  persuasion ;  for  there  is 
nothing  rational  in  it ;  still  less  any  thing  spiritual,  it  being 
merely  external  without  any  internal  principle.  It  is  the  same 
with  all  that  a  man  does  from  such  persuasive  faith,  whether  he 
acknowledge  God,  or  worship  him  at  home  or  at  church,  or  per¬ 
form  acts  of  kindness.  When  a  miracle  alone  leads  a  man  to 
the  acknowledgment  of  God,  to  worship,  and  to  piety,  he  acts 
from  the  natural  man,  and  not  from  the  spiritual ;  for  a  miracle 
infuses  faith  by  an  external,  and  not  by  an  internal  way,  there¬ 
fore  from  the  world,  and  not  from  heaven  :  but  the  Lord  does 
not  enter  into  a  man  by  any  other  than  by  an  internal  way, 
which  is  by  the  Word,  and  by  doctrine  and  preachings  derived 
from  the  Word  ;  and  as  miracles  shut  up  this  way,  therefore  at 
this  day  no  miracles  are  wrought. 

132.  That  such  is  the  nature  of  miracles  may  plainly  appear 
from  those  wrought  before  the  Jewish  and  Israelitish  people. 
Although  they  saw  so  many  miracles  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
afterwards  at  the  Led  Sea,  others  in  the  desert,  and  especially 
u  3on  Mount  Sinai,  when  the  law  was  promulgated,  yet,  in  the 
space  of  a  month,  when  Moses  tarried  upon  that  mountain,  they 
n  ade  themselves  a  golden  calf,  and  acknowdedged  it  for  J ehovah 
^  ho  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  (Exod.  xxxii.  4,  5, 6). 
The  same  also  may  appear  from  the  miracles  wrought  afteiwards 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  notwithstanding  which  the  people  so 
often  departed  from  the  wmrship  that  wTas  commanded  ;  and 
from  the  miracles  which  the  Lord  wrought  before  them  wdien 
he  w'as  in  the  world,  notwithstanding  which  they  crucified  him. 
The  reason  why  miracles  were  WTOught  among  the  Jevrs  and 
Israelites  w-as,  because  they  wTere  altogether  external  men,  and 
were  introduced  into  the  land  of  Canaan  merely  that  they  might 
represent  a  church  and  its  internal  principles  by  the  external 
things  of  worship  ;  and  a  wicked  man  may  be  a  representative  as 
wrell  as  a  good  man.  The  external  things  of  worship  among 
them  wTere  rituals,  all  winch  signified  spiritual  and  celestial 
things.  Even  Aaron,  although  he  made  the  golden  calf,  and 
commanded  the  worship  of  it  (Exod.  xxxii.  2 — 5,  35),  could, 
nevertheless,  represent  the  Lord  and  his  work  of  salvation. 
And  as  they  could  not,  by  the  internal  principles  of  worship, 
be  led  to  represent  these  things,  therefore  they  wTere  led,  yea 
forced  and  compelled  to  it,  by  miracles.  The  reason  wThy  they 
could  not  be  brought  to  such  representation  by  the  internal 
principles  of  worship  wTas,  because  they  did  not  acknowiedge 

78 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


132 — 134 


the  Cord,  although  the  whole  Word,  which  was  among  them, 
treats  of  him  only  ;  and  he  who  does  not  acknowledge  the  Lord 
cannot  receive  any  internal  worship.  But,  after  the  Lord 
manifested  himself,  and  was  received  and  acknowledged  in  the 
churches  as  the  eternal  God,  miracles  ceased. 

133.  The  effect  of  miracles  upon  the  good,  however,  is  dif¬ 
ferent  from  what  it  is  upon  the  wicked.  The  good  do  not  desire 
miracles,  hut  they  believe  the  miracles  which  are  recorded  in 
the  Word  ;  and  if  thev  hear  any  thing  of  a  miracle,  they  attend 
no  otherwise  to  it  than  as  a  light  argument  which  confirms 
their  faith,  for  they  think  from  the  Word,  consequently  from 
the  Lord,  and  not  from  a  miracle.  It  is  otherwise  with  the 
wicked  :  they  indeed  mav  be  driven  and  forced  into  faith,  and 
even  into  worship  and  piety,  but  only  for  a  short  time  ;  for 
their  evils  being  shut  in,  the  concupiscences  thereof  and  the  de¬ 
lights  thence  derived  continuall v  act  against  the  external  of 
their  worship  and  piety ;  and  in  order  that  these  evils  may  escape 


from  confinement  and  break  out,  thev  think  about  the  miracle, 
and  at  length  call  it  a  delusion  or  an  artifice,  or  an  operation 
of  nature,  and  so  return  into  their  evils  ;  and  he  who  returns 
into  his  evils  after  worship,  profanes  the  truths  and  goods  of 
worship,  and  the  lot  of  profaners  after  death  is  the  worst  of  all. 
These  are  those  who  are  meant  by  the  Lord's  words  in  Mat:, 
xii.  13,  H,  15,  whose  last  state  is  worse  than  their  first.  Besides, 
if  miracles  were  to  be  wrought  before  those  who  do  not  belieTe 
in  consequence  of  the  miracles  recorded  in  the  Word,  they  must 
be  continually  performed,  and  constantly  presented  to  their 
view.  From  these  considerations,  the  reason  may  appear  why 
miracles  are  not  performed  at  this  day. 

131.  II.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  visions  and  by  conversing 
with,  the  dead ,  because  they  force,  visions  are  of  two  kinds, 
divine  and  diabolical  :  divine  visions  are  effected  by  representa¬ 
tives  in  heaven,  and  diabolical  visions  are  effected  by  magic  in 
hell.  There  are  also  fantastical  visions,  which  are  illusions  of 
an  abstracted  mind.  Divine  visions ,  which,  as  was  said,  are 
produced  by  representatives  in  heaven,  are  such  as  the  prophets 
had,  who,  when  they  were  in  them,  were  not  in  the  body,  but 
in  the  spirit ;  for  visions  cannot  appear  to  a  man  when  his  body 
is  awake.  Therefore,  when  they  appeared  to  the  prophets,  it  is 
said  also  that  they  were  then  in  the  Spirit ;  as  is  plain  from  the 
following  passages  :  Ezekiel  says,  uThe  Spirit  took  me  up,  and 
brought  me  in  a  vision  by  the  Spirit  of  God  into  Chaldea, 
to  them  ot  the  captivity;  so  the  vision  that  I  had  seen  wen  £ 
up  from  me"  (xi.  1,  21).  Again,  he  says,  that  the  Sprit  fitted 
him  up  between  the  earth  and  the  heaven,  and  brought  him  in 
the  visions  of  God  to  Jerusalem  (viii.  3).  In  like  manner  he 
was  in  a  vision  of  God,  or  in  the  Spirit,  when  he  saw  four  ani¬ 
mals,  which  were  cherubim  (i.  x.) ;  as  also  when  he  saw  the  new 
79 


134 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


temple  and  the  new  earth,  and  an  angel  measuring  them  (xl. 
xlviii.).  That  lie  was  then  in  the  visions  of  God,  he  declares 
(xl.  2,  26) ;  and  that  he  w'as  in  the  Spirit  (xliii.  5).  In  a  similar 
state  was  Zechariah,  when  he  saw  a  man  riding  among  the 
myrtle  trees  (i.  8) ;  when  he  saw  the  four  horns  and  a  man  with 
a  measuring  line  in  his  hand  (ii.  1,  3) ;  when  he  saw  a  candle¬ 
stick  and  two  olive  trees  (iv.  1,  3);  when  he  saw  a  flying  roll 
and  an  epliali  (v.  1,  6);  when  he  saw  four  chariots  coming  out 
from  between  two  mountains,  and  horses  (vi.  1,  and  following 
verses).  In  a  similar  state  was  Daniel,  when  he  saw  four  beasts 
ascending  out  of  the  sea  (vii.  1,  and  following  verses) ;  and  when 
he  saw  the  battle  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  (viii.  1,  and  fol¬ 
lowing  verses).  That  he  saw  these  things  in  a  vision  of  his 
spirit  is  stated  in  chap.  vii.  1,  2,  7,  13  ;  viii.  2 ;  x.  1,  7,  8 ;  and 
that  the  angel  Gabriel  was  seen  of  him  in  a  vision  (ix.  21). 
John  also  was  in  a  vision  of  the  spirit,  when  he  saw  the  things 
which  he  has  described  in  the  Revelation  ;  as  when  he  saw  the 
seven  candlesticks  and  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  midst  of  them 
(i.  12 — 16) ;  when  he  saw  a  throne  in  heaven,  and  one  sitting 
on  the  throne,  and  four  animals,  which  were  cherubim,  round 
about  it  (iv.) ;  wflien  he  saw  the  book  of  life  taken  by  the  Lamb 
(v.) ;  when  he  saw  horses  coming  forth  out  of  the  book  (vi.) ; 
when  he  saw  seven  angels  with  trumpets  (viii.) ;  when  he  saw 
the  bottomless  pit  opened,  and  locusts  coming  forth  out  of  it 
(ix.) ;  when  he  saw  the  dragon  and  his  war  with  Michael  (xii.) ; 
when  he  saw  the  two  beasts,  one  coming  out  of  the  sea,  and 
the  other  from  the  earth  (xiii.) ;  when  he  saw  the  woman  sitting 
upon  the  scarlet  beast  (xvii.),  and  Babylon  destroyed  (xviilv  ; 
when  he  saw  the  white  horse,  and  him  that  sat  thereon  (xix.) ; 
when  he  saw  the  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth,  and  the  holy 
Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of  heaven  (xxi.) ;  and  when  he  saw 
the  river  of  the  water  of  life  (xxii.).  That  he  saw  these  things 
in  a  vision  of  the  Spirit  is  declared  (i.  10 ;  iv.  2  ;  v.  1  ;  vi.  1  ; 
xxi.  10).  Such  were  the  visions,  which  appeared  out  of  heaven, 
before  the  sight  of  their  spirit,  and  not  before  the  sight  of  their 
body.  Such  visions  do  not  exist  at  this  day ;  for  if  they  did, 
they  would  not  be  understood,  because  they  are  effected  by  rep¬ 
resentatives,  the  particulars  of  which  signify  internal  things 
of  the  church,  and  arcana  of  heaven.  That  visions  were  also 
to  cease  when  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  is  foretold  by 
Daniel  (xi.  21).  Diabolical  visions  sometimes  have  existed,  being 
induced  by  enthusiastic  spirits  and  visionaries,  who  from  the 
delirium  they  were  in  called  themselves  the  Holy  Ghost :  but 
those  spirits  are  now  collected  by  the  Lord,  and  cast  into  a  hell 
separate  from  the  hells  of  others.  From  what  has  been  said  it  is 
evident,  that  no  one  can  be  reformed  by  any  other  visions  than 
those  which  are  recorded  in  the  Word.  There  are  also  fantas¬ 
tical  visions ,  but  these  are  mere  illusions  of  an  abstracted  mind. 

80 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


134* — 138 


134*.  That  neither  can  any  one  be  reformed  by  speaking 
with  the  dead,  is  evident  from  the  Lord’s  words  concerning  the 
rich  man  in  hell,  and  Lazarus  in  the  bosom  of  Abraham  ;  for 
the  rich  man  said,  “I  pray  thee,  father  Abraham,  that  thou 
wouldst  send  Lazarus  to  my  father’s  house:  for  I  have  live 
brethren ;  that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come 
into  this  place  of  torment.  Abraham  said  unto  him,  They 
have  Moses  and  the  prophets ;  let  them  hear  them.  But  he 
said.  Nay,  father  Abraham,  but  if  one  went  unto  them  from 
the  dead,  they  will  repent.  And  he  said  unto  him,  If  they 
hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead”  (Luke  xvi.  27 — 31).  Speaking 
with  the  dead  would  have  the  same  effect  as  miracles  before- 
mentioned,  viz. :  that  a  man  would  be  persuaded  and  compelled 
to  worship  for  a  short  time ;  but  as  such  compulsion  deprives 
a  man  of  rationality,  and  at  the  same  time  shuts  in  his  evils,  as 
was  said  above,  the  charm  or  internal  restraint  becomes  dis¬ 
solved,  and  the  inclosed  evils  break  out  with  blasphemy  and 
profanation.  This  only  happens,  however,  when  spirits  induce 
some  dogmatic  principle  of  religion,  which  is  never  done  by  any 
good  spirit,  still  less  by  any  angel  of  heaven. 

135.  Nevertheless,  to  speak  with  spirits,  though  rarely  with 
angels  of  heaven,  is  allowed,  and  has  been  for  many  ages  back ; 
but  when  it  is  allowed,  the  spirits  speak  with  a  man  in  his 
mother  tongue,  and  only  a  few  words.  Those,  however,  who 
speak  by  permission  of  the  Lord,  never  say  any  thing  which 
takes  away  the  freedom  of  reason ;  nor  do  they  teach ;  for  the 
Lord  alone  teaches  a  man,  though  mediately  through  the  Word 
in  illumination,  which  will  be  spoken  of  presently.  That  this 
is  the  case,  has  been  made  known  to  me  by  experience.  I  have 
discoursed  with  spirits  and  angels  now  for  several  years ;  nor 
durst  any  spirit,  neither  would  any  angel,  say  any  thing  to  me, 
much  less  instruct  me,  about  any  thing  in  the  Word,  or  any 
doctrinal  derived  from  the  Word;  but  the  Lord  alone,  who  was 
revealed  to  me,  and  afterwards  continually  did  and  does  appear 
before  my  eyes  as  the  sun  in  which  he  is,  even  as  he  appears  to 
the  angels,  taught  me  and  illuminated  me. 

135.  III.  That  no  one  is  reformed  by  threats  and  punishments* 
because  they  force.  It  is  known  that  the  external  cannot  force 
the  internal,  but  that  the  internal  can  force  the  external.  It  is 
also  known,  that  the  internal  is  so  averse  to  force  from  the 
external,  that  it  turns  itself  away ;  and  also  that  external  delights 
allure  the  internal  to  give  its  consent  and  its  love :  it  may  also 
be  known,  that  there  exists  internal  constraint  and  internal 
liberty.  But  all  these  points,  although  they  are  known,  should, 
nevertheless,  be  illustrated ;  for  there  are  many  things  which 
when  they  are  heard  are  immediately  perceived  to  be  as  stated, 
because  they  are  truths,  and  they  are  thence  affirmed :  but  it 
81 


136 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


not  at  tlie  same  time  confirmed  by  reasons,  they  may  be  invali¬ 
dated  by  arguments  from  fallacies,  and  at  length  denied.  The 
things,  therefore,  which  are  now  mentioned  as  known,  are  to 
be  resumed  and  rationally  confirmed.  First,  That  the  external 
cannot  force  the  internal ,  but  that  the  internal  can  force  the  ex¬ 
ternal.  Who  can  be  forced  to  believe  and  to  love  ?  It  is  no 
more  possible  for  any  one  to  be  forced  to  believe,  than  to  bo 
Forced  to  think  that  a  thing  is  so  and  so  when  he  does  not  think 
it  so ,  and  it  is  no  more  possible  for  any  one  to  be  forced  to 
love,  than  to  be  forced  to  will  that  which  he  does  not  will ;  for 
belief  is  of  the  thought,  and  love  is  of  the  will.  But  the  internal 
may  be  restrained  by  the  external  from  speaking  ill  against  the 
laws  of  the  kingdom,  the  morals  of  life,  and  the  sanctities  of 
the  church.  The  internal  may  be  thus  forced  or  restrained  by 
threats  and  punishments,  and  also  is  and  ought  to  be  restrained  ; 
but  such  internal  is  not  an  internal  properly  human,  but  an 
internal  that  a  man  has  in  common  with  beasts,  which  also  can 
be  forced.  The  human  internal  resides  above  this  animal  in¬ 
ternal  ;  and  it  is  the  former  which  is  here  meant,  and  which 
cannot  be  forced.  Secondly,  That  the  internal  is  so  averse  to 
force  from  the  external ,  that  it  turns  itself  away.  The  reason  ox 
this  is,  that  the  internal  wills  to  be  at  liberty,  and  loves  liberty  ; 
for  liberty  is  of  a  man’s  love  or  of  his  life,  as  was  shown  above. 
Therefore  when  liberty  perceives  itself  to  be  forced,  it  withdraws 
itself  as  it  were  within  itself,  and  averts  itself,  regarding  force 
as  its  enemy ;  for  the  love,  which  makes  a  man’s  life,  is  ex¬ 
asperated,  and  causes  him  to  think,  that  thus  he  is  not  his  own, 
consequently,  that  he  does  not  live  to  himself.  The  reason  why 
a  man’s  internal  is  such,  is  grounded  in  the  law  of  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord,  that  a  man  should  act  from  libertv 
according  to  reason.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  to  force  men  to 
divine  worship  by  threats  and  punishments,  is  hurtful.  But 
there  are  some  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  forced  to  religion, 
and  some  who  do  not.  Those  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  forced 
to  religion  are  many  of  the  papists ;  but  it  is  the  case  with  those 
in  whose  worship  there  is  nothing  internal,  but  all  is  external. 
Those  who  do  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  forced  are  many  of 
the  English  nation,  and  hence  it  is  that  there  is  an  internal 
in  their  worship ;  what  is  in  the  external  is  from  the  internal. 
The  interiors  of  these  latter,  as  to  religion,  appear  in  spiritual 
light  like  white  clouds ;  but  the  interiors  of  the  former,  as  to 
religion,  appear  in  the  light  of  heaven  like  dark  clouds.  Both 
these  appearances  are  to  be  seen  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 
whoever  will  may  see  them  when  he  enters  that  world  after 
death.  Moreover,  constrained  worship  shuts  in  evils,  which  then 
lie  concealed  like  fire  in  wood  under  the  ashes,  which  continues 
to  kindle  and  spread  till  it  breaks  out  into  a  flame ;  whereas 
worship  which  is  not  constrained,  but  spontaneous,  does  not 
82 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


136 


shut  in  evils,  which,  therefore,  are  like  fires  that  immediately 
burn  out  and  are  dispersed.  From  these  considerations  it  is 
evident,  that  the  internal  has  such  a  repugnance  to  restraint, 
that  it  averts  itself.  The  reason  why  the  internal  can  force 
the  external,  is,  because  the  internal  is  as  a  master,  and  the 
external  as  a  servant.  Thirdly,  That  external  delights  allure 
the  internal  to  give  its  consent  and  cdso  its  love.  Delights  are  of 
two  kinds — those  of  the  understanding  and  those  of  the  will. 
The  delights  of  the  understanding  are  also  delights  of  wisdom, 
and  the  delights  of  the  will  are  also  delights  of  love  ;  for  wisdom 
is  of  the  understanding,  and  love  is  of  the  will.  Flow,  since  the 
delights  of  the  body  and  its  senses,  which  are  external  delights, 
act  as  one  with  the  internal  delights,  which  are  of  the  under 
standing  and  the  will,  it  follows,  that  as  the  internal  refuses 
constraint  from  the  external,  insomuch  as  to  turn  itself  away, 
so  the  internal  gratefully  beholds  delight  in  the  external,  inso- 
much  as  to  turn  itself  to  it ;  thus  is  produced  consent  on  the 
part  of  the  understanding,  and  love  on  the  part  of  the  will.  All 
infants  in  the  spiritual  world  are  introduced  into  angelic  wisdom, 
and  by  it  into  celestial  love,  by  delights  and  pleasantness  from 
the  Lord;  first,  by  beautiful  objects  in  houses  and  pleasant 
things  in  gardens;  then,  by  representatives  of  spiritual  things, 
which  affect  the  interiors  of  their  minds  with  pleasure;  and, 
lastly,  by  truths  of  wisdom,  and  so  by  goods  of  love:  thus  con¬ 
tinually  by  delights  in  their  order;  first,  by  the  delights  of 
the  love  of  the  understanding  and  its  wisdom,  and  lastly,  by 
the  delights  of  the  love  of  the  will,  which  becomes  their  life’s 
love,  under  which  the  other  things,  which  have  entered  by 
delights,  are  kept  subordinate.  This  is  done,  because  all  of 
the  understanding  and  will  is  to  be  formed  by  the  external 
before  it  is  formed  by  the  internal ;  all  of  the  understanding 
and  will  being  formed  first  by  the  things  which  enter  through 
the  senses  of  the  body,  especially  the  sig;ht  and  hearing ;  but 
when  the  first  understanding  and  the  first  will  are  formed, 
then  the  internal  of  thought  regards  them  as  the  external  of  its 
thought,  and  either  conjoins  itself  with  them  or  separates  itself 
from  them;  conjoining  itself  with  them  if  they  are  delightful, 
and  separating  itself  from  them  if  they  are  not.  But  it  ought 
to  be  well  understood  that  the  internal  of  the  understanding  does 
not  join  itself  with  the  internal  of  the  will,  but  that  the  internal 
of  the  will  joins  itself  with  the  internal  of  the  understanding, 
and  causes  a  reciprocal  conjunction  ;  which,  however,  is  formed 
by  the  internal  of  the  will,  and  not  at  all  by  the  internal  of  the 
understanding.  Hence  it  is,  that  a  man  cannot  be  reformed  by 
faith  alone,  but  by  the  love  of  the  will  which  forms  faith  to 
itself.  Fourthly,  That  there  exists  interned  constraint  and 
internal  liberty.  Internal  constraint  exists  with  those  whose 
worship  is  altogether  external,  and  in  no  degree  internal ;  for. 
S3  & 


136—138 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


their  internal  is  to  think  and  will  that  to  which  their  external 
is  forced.  Such  are  those  whose  worship  is  directed  to  men, 
both  living  and  dead,  and  thence  to  idols,  and  who  are  in  the 
faith  of  miracles.  In  these  there  is  no  internal,  but  what  is,  at 
the  same  time,  external.  But  in  those  whose  worship  is  internal, 
there  exists  internal  constraint,  of  which  there  are  two  kinds, 
one  from  fear  and  another  from  love.  Internal  constraint  from 
fear  exists  in  those  whose  worship  originates  in  the  fear  of  infer¬ 
nal  torment  and  its  tire :  but  in  this  case  the  internal  is  not  the 

j 

internal  of  thought,  before  treated  of,  but  the  external  of  thought, 
which  is  here  called  internal,  because  it  is  of  thought.  The 
internal  of  thought,  which  was  before  treated  of,  cannot  be 
forced  or  constrained  by  any  fear ;  but  it  can  be  constrained  by 
love  and  by  the  fear  of  losing  it.  The  fear  of  God  in  a  genuine 
sense  is  no  other  than  this.  To  be  constrained  bv  love  and  bv 

«  » .•  • j 

the  fear  of  losing  it,  is  to  be  constrained  by  onesself ;  and  it  will 
be  afterwards  seen,  that  to  force  onesself  is  not  against  liberty 
and  rationality. 

137.  From  this  it  may  appear,  what  is  constrained  worship, 
and  what  is  unconstrained.  Constrained  worship  is  corporeal, 
inanimate,  obscure,  and  gloomy :  corporeal,  because  it  is  of 
the  body  and  not  of  the  mind ;  inanimate,  because  there  is  no 
life  in  it;  obscure,  because  there  is  no  understanding  in  it; 
and  gloomy,  because  there  is  no  delight  of  heaven  in  it.  But 
unconstrained  worship,  when  it  is  genuine,  is  spiritual,  living, 
lucid,  and  joyful :  spiritual,  because  there  is  spirit  from  the  Lord 
in  it ;  living,  because  there  is  life  from  the  Lord  in  it ;  lucid, 
because  there  is  wisdom  from  the  Lord  in  it ;  and  joyful,  because 
there  is  heaven  from  the  Lord  in  it. 

138.  IV.  That  no  one  is  reformed  in  states  which  are  not 
of  rationality  and  liberty.  It  was  shown  above,  that  nothing  is 
appropriated  to  man  but  what  he  does  from  liberty  according  to 
reason ;  the  cause  of  which  is,  that  liberty  is  of  the  will,  and 
reason  of  the  understanding ;  and  when  a  man  acts  from  liberty 
according  to  reason,  then  he  acts  fronVhis  will  through  his  un¬ 
derstanding,  and  that  which  is  done  in  conjunction  of  both  is 
appropriated.  How  since  the  Lord  wills  that  a  man  should  be 
reformed  and  regenerated,  in  order  that  he  may  enjoy  eternal 
life  or  the  life  of  heaven,  and  no  one  can  be  reformed  and  rege¬ 
nerated  unless  good  be  appropriated  to  his  will,  that  it  may  be 
as  it  were  his  own,  and  truth  to  his  understanding,  that  it  like¬ 
wise  may  be  as  it  were  his  own ;  and  since  nothing  can  be 
appropriated  to  any  one  but  what  is  from  the  liberty  ot  his  will 
according  to  the  reason  of  his  understanding,  it  follows,  that  no 
one  is  reformed  in  states  which  are  not  of  liberty  and  rationality. 
There  are  several  states  which  are  not  of  liberty  and  rationality; 
but  in  general  they  may  be  referred  to  these :  States  of  fea/r , 
of  misfortune ,  mental  disorder ,  bodily  sickness ,  i ignorance ,  and 

8i 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


13S,  139 


blindness  of  the  understanding  /  but  of  each  of  these  states 
something  shall  be  distinctly  mentioned. 

139.  The  reason  why  no  one  is  reformed  in  a  state  of  fear, 
is,  because  fear  takes  away  free-will  and  reason,  or  liberty  and 
rationality ;  for,  while  love  opens  the  interiors  of  the  mincl,  fear 
closes  them,  and  when  they  are  closed,  a  man  thinks  little,  and 
only  what  offers  itself  to  the  mind  and  senses.  Such  is  the 
effect  of  all  kinds  of  fear  which  assail  the  mind.  It  was  shown 
before,  that  a  man  has  both  an  internal  and  an  external  of 
thought.  Fear  can  never  invade  the  internal  of  thought,  this 
being  always  in  freedom  because  it  is  in  its  life’s  love  ;  but  it 
can  invade  the  external  of  thought,  and  when  it  does  this,  the 
internal  is  closed,  in  which  case  the  man  can  no  longer  act  from 
liberty  according  to  his  reason,  and  therefore  cannot  be  reform¬ 
ed.  The  fear  which  invades  the  external  of  thought  and  closes 
the  internal  is  chiefly  the  fear  of  the  loss  of  honour  or  of  gain  ; 
but  the  fear  of  civil  punishments,  and  of  external  ecclesiastical 
punishments,  does  not  close  it,  because  these  laws  only  prescribe 
punishments  for  those  who  speak  and  act  against  the  civil  insti¬ 
tutions  of  a  kingdom  and  the  spiritual  ones  of  the  church,  and 
not  for  those  who  think  against  them.  The  fear  of  infernal 
punishment  indeed  invades  the  external  of  thought,  but  only 
for  some  moments,  hours,  or  days,  and  afterwards  it  is  restored 
to  liberty  by  the  internal  of  thought,  which  is  properly  of  a  man’s 
spirit  and  life’s  love,  and  is  called  the  thought  of  the  heart. 
But  fear  for  the  loss  of  honour  and  gain  invades  the  external  of 
a  man’s  thought,  and,  when  it  invades  it,  closes  the  internal  of 
thought  above  against  the  influx  from  heaven,  and  renders  a 
man’s  reformation  impracticable.  The  reason  is,  because  the 
He’s  love  of  every  man  is  by  birth  the  love  of  self  and  of  the 


world  ;  and  the  love  of  self  makes  one  with  the  love  of  honour, 
and  the  love  of  the  world  makes  one  with  the  love  of  gain ;  there¬ 
fore  when  a  man  is  in  possession  of  honour  or  of  gain,  he,  out  of 
fear  for  the  loss  of  them,  confirms  in  himself  means  which  are 
subservient  to  them,  and  which  are  as  well  of  a  civil  as  an  ec¬ 
clesiastical  nature,  both  respecting  government.  He  also  that 
is  not  yet  in  possession  of  honour  or  gain,  if  he  aspires  to  them, 
acts  in  like  manner,  but  out  of  fear  for  the  loss  of  reputation, 
which  is  valued  for  the  sake  of  them.  It  is  said  that  this  fear 
invades  the  external  of  thought,  and  closes  the  internal  above 
against  influx  from  heaven ;  and  the  latter  is  said  to  be  closed 
when  it  acts  entirely  as  one  with  the  external ;  for  then  it  is  not 
in  itself,  but  in  the  external.  Since,  however,  the  loves  of  self 
and  of  the  world  are  infernal  loves,  and  the  sources  of  all  evils, 
of  what  nature  the  internal  of  thought  is,  in  itself,  with  those 
in  whom  these  loves  reign  or  are  the  life’s  loves,  appears  evident ; 
namely,  that  it  is  full  of  the  concupiscences  of  evils  of  all  kinds. 
Tins  is  unknown  to  these  who,  from  the  fear  of  the  loss  of  dignity 


139—142 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  wealth,  are  in  a  powerful  persuasion  concerning  the  religion 
in  which  they  are  principled,  especially  a  religion  which  involves 
the  idea  that  they  shall  be  worshiped  as  deities,  and  at  the  same 
time  as  Plutos  in  hell.  These  can  burn  as  it  were  with  zeal  for 
the  salvation  of  souls,  and  this  nevertheless  from  infernal  fire. 
As  this  fear  especially  takes  away  rationality  itself  and  liberty 
itself,  which  are  of  celestial  origin,  it  is  evident  that  it  is  an  ob¬ 
stacle  to  a  man’s  being  reformed. 

140.  The  reason  why  no  one  is  reformed  in  a  state  of  mis¬ 
fortune,  if  he  then  only  thinks  of  God  and  implores  assistance, 
is,  because  it  is  a  state  of  constraint ;  and  therefore  when  he 
comes  into  a  state  of  liberty,  he  returns  into  the  former  state  in 
which  he  had  thought  little  if  any  thing  about  God.  Not  so 
those  wTho  had  feared  God  before,  while  in  a  state  of  liberty. 
By  the  fear  of  God  is  meant  a  fear  to  offend  him,  and  to  offend 
him  is  to  sin ;  and  this  is  not  really  of  fear  but  of  love.  Who  that 
loves  any  one,  does  not  fear  to  do  him  harm,  and  fear  it  the 
more  in  proportion  as  he  loves  him  ?  Without  this  fear,  love 
is  lifeless  and  superficial,  appertaining  to  the  thought  only, 
and  not  to  the  will.  By  states  of  misfortune  are  meant  states 
of  desperation  from  dangers,  as  in  battles,  duels,  shipwrecks, 
falls,  fires,  imminent  or  unexpected  loss  of  wealth,  also  loss  ol 
office,  and  thence  of  honour,  and  other  similar  cases.  To  think 
of  God,  in  these  only,  is  not  from  God  but  from  self;  fbr  then 
the  mind  is  as  it  were  imprisoned  in  the  body,  therefore  not  in 
liberty,  and  thence  not  in  rationality  either,  without  which 
there  cannot  be  reformation. 

141.  The  reason  why  no  one  is  reformed  in  a  state  of 
mental  disorder,  is,  because  disease  of  the  mind  takes  away 
rationality,  and  thereby  the  liberty  of  acting  according  to  reason ; 
for  a  disordered  mind  is  not  sound,  and  it  is  the  sound  mind 
which  is  rational,  and  not  the  diseased  mind.  Such  disorders 
of  the  mind  are  melancholy,  spurious  and  false  consciences, 
phantasies  of  various  kinds,  grief  of  mind  from  misfortunes, 
anxieties  and  anguish  of  mind  arising  from  disease  of  the  body, 
which  are  sometimes  erroneously  considered  as  temptations. 
Genuine  temptations  have  for  their  object  spiritual  things,  in 
which  the  mind  is  wise ;  but  the  former  have  for  their  object 
natural  things,  in  which  the  mind  is  insane. 

142.  The  reason  why  no  one  is  reformed  in  a  state  of 
bodily  sickness,  is,  because  reason  then  is  not  in  a  free  state ; 
for  the  state  of  the  mind  depends  upon  that  of  the  body.  When 
the  body  is  sick,  the  mind  also  is  sick,  if  from  no  other  causo 
than  its  being  removed  from  the  world ;  for  a  mind  removed 
from  the  world  thinks  indeed  of  God,  but  not  from  God,  for 
it  is  not  in  the  liberty  of  reason.  A  man  has  liberty  of  reason 
from  this  circumstance,  that  he  is  in  the  midst  between  heaven 
and  the  worl  1,  and  can  think  from  heaven  and  from  the  world, 

86 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


142—144 


also  from  heaven  concerning  the  world,  and  from  the  world 
concerning  heaven.  When  therefore  a  man  is  sickness,  and 
thinks  of  death,  and  of  the  state  of  his  soul  after  death,  he  is 
not  then  in  the  world,  but  is  abstracted  in  spirit,  in  which 
state  alone  no  one  can  be  reformed ;  but  he  may  be  confirmed 
by  this,  if  lie  was  reformed  before  he  was  visited  with  sickness. 
It  is  the  same  with  those  who  renounce  the  world  and  all  busi¬ 
ness  in  it,  and  give  themselves  up  solely  to  thoughts  concerning 
God,  heaven,  and  salvation  :  but  on  this  subject  more  elsewhere. 
Therefore,  such  persons,  if  they  are  not  reformed  before  the 
sickness,  become  after  it,  if  they  die,  such  as  they  were  before 
it :  hence  it  is  vain  to  think  a  person  can  repent,  or  receive  any 
faith  under  sickness  ;  for  there  is  nothing  of  action  in  such  re¬ 
pentance,  and  nothing  of  charity  in  such  faith  ;  therefore  in 
both,  all  is  of  the  mouth  and  nothing  of  the  heart. 

143.  The  reason  why  no  one  is  reformed  in  a  state  of 
ignorance,  is,  because  all  reformation  is  effected  by  truths 
and  a  life  according  to  them  ;  therefore,  those  who  do  not  know 
truths  cannot  be  reformed  ;  but  if  they  desire  truths  from  the 
affection  thereof,  they  are  reformed  in  the  spiritual  world  after 
death. 

144.  Nor  can  persons  be  reformed  in  a  state  of  blind¬ 
ness  of  the  understanding.  They  also  are  ignorant  of 
truths,  and  consequently  of  life  ;  for  the  understanding  must 
teach  them,  and  the  will  do  them;  and  when  the  will  does 
what  the  understanding  teaches,  it  has  life  according  to  truths  ; 
but  when  the  understanding  is  blinded,  the  will  also  is  closed, 
and  does  not  from  liberty  according  to  reason  anything  but  the 
evil  confirmed  in  the  understanding,  which  is  falsity.  Religion 
also,  as  well  as  ignorance,  blinds  the  understanding,  when  it 
teaches  a  blind  faith ;  and  so  does  false  doctrine :  for  as  truths 
open  the  understanding,  so  falsities  close  it ;  they  close  it  above, 
but  open  it  below,  and  the  understanding,  open  only  below, 
cannot  see  truths,  but  merely  confirms  whatever  it  wills,  espe¬ 
cially  what  is  false.  The  understanding  is  also  blinded  by  the 
lusts  of  evil.  So  long  as  the  will  is  in  such  lusts,  it  forces  the 
understanding  to  confirm  them  ;  and  so  far  as  the  lusts  of  evil 
are  confirmed,  the  will  cannot  be  in  affections  of  good,  and  from 
them  see  truths,  and  so  be  reformed.  For  example :  when 
a  man  is  in  the  lust  of  adultery,  his  will,  which  is  in  the  delight 
of  his  love,  forces  his  understanding  to  confirm  it,  by  saying 
TV  hat  is  adultery?  Is  there  any  harm  in  it?  Is  there  not 
the  same  harm  in  the  connection  between  husband  and  wife  ? 
Cannot  children  equally  be  born  from  adultery  ?  Cannot  a 
woman  admit  several  without  any  harm  ?  What  has  any 
spiritual  consideration  to  do  in  this  case  ?  Thus  does  the  un¬ 
derstanding,  which  is  then  the  harlot  of  the  will,  thmk ;  and 
so  stupid  is  it  made  bv  its  whoredom  with  the  will,  that  it  can- 

87 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


144,  145 

not  see  that  conjugial  love  is  spiritual  celestial  love  itself,  which 
is  an  image  of  the  love  of  the  Lord  and  of  the  church,  from  which 
also  it  is  derived,  and  thus  that  in  itself  it  is  holy,  being  essen¬ 
tial  chastity,  purity,  and  innocence ;  that  it  makes  men  loves 
in  form,  for  married  pairs  can  love  each  other  mutually  from 
their  inmost  souls,  and  so  form  themselves  into  loves  ;  and  that 
adultery  destroys  this  form,  and  with  it  the  image  of  the  Lord ; 
and,  what  is  horrible,  that  the  adulterer  mixes  his  life  with  the 
life  of  the  husband  in  his  wife,  for  a  man’s  life  is  in  the  seed. 
As  this  is  profane,  therefore  hell  is  called  adultery,  and  on  the 
contrary  heaven  is  called  marriage  :  the  love  of  adultery  also 
communicates  with  the  lowest  hell,  but  love  truly  conjugial  with 
the  inmost  heaven  ;  and  the  members  of  generation  of  both 
sexes  also  correspond  to  societies  of  the  inmost  heaven.  These 
particulars  are  adduced,  that  it  may  be  known  how  much  the 
understanding  is  blinded  when  the  will  is  in  the  lust  of  evil ; 
and  that  in  a  state  of  blindness  of  the  understanding  no  one 
can  be  reformed. 

145.  Y.  That  it  is  not  contrary  to  rationality  and  liberty 
for  a  man  to  force  himself.  It  was  shown  before,  that  a  man  has 
an  internal  and  an  external  of  thought ;  that  they  are  distinct 
as  prior  and  posterior,  or  as  superior  and  inferior  ;  and  that,  as 
they  are  so  distinct,  they  can  act  separately,  and  can  act  in 
conjunction.  They  act  separately,  when  a  man  speaks  and  acts 
from  the  external  of  his  thought  otherwise  than  he  interiorly 
thinks  and  wills  ;  and  they  act  in  conjunction,  when  he  speaks 
and  does  what  he  interiorly  thinks  and  wills.  The  latter  case 
is  common  with  the  sincere,  but  the  former  with  the  insincere. 
Now,  since  the  internal  and  the  external  of  the  mind  are’  so 
distinct,  the  internal  can  also  combat  with  the  external,  and  by 
that  compel  it  to  consent.  Combat  takes  place  when  a  man 
thinks  evils  to  be  sins,  and  therefore  wills  to  desist  from  them ;  for 
when  he  desists,  the  door  is  opened,  upon  which  the  concu¬ 
piscences  of  evil  which  besieged  the  internal  of  thought  are  cast 
out  by  the  Lord,  and  in  their  place  are  implanted  affections  of 
good,  and  this  in  the  internal  of  thought.  But  as  the  delights 
of  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  which  besiege  the  external  of 
thought,  cannot  be  cast  out  at  the  same  time,  therefore  a  com¬ 
bat  takes  place  between  the  internal  and  the  external  of  thought ; 
the  internal  desiring  to  cast  out  those  delights,  because  they  are 
delights  of  evil,  and  do  not  accord  with  the  affections  of  good, 
which  the  internal  is  now  in,  and  instead  of  the  delights  of 
evil  to  introduce  delights  of  good,  which  do  accord.  The  de¬ 
lights  of  good  are  what  are  called  goods  of  charity.  From 
this  contrariety  arises  a  combat,  which,  if  it  becomes  grievous, 
is  called  temptation.  Now  since  a  man  is  a  man  by  virtue  of 
the  internal  of  his  thought,  this  being  the  man’s  spirit  itself,  it 
is  evident  that  a  man  forces  himself,  when  re  forces  the  external 
88 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


145 — 147 


of  his  thought  to  consent  to  or  to  receive  the  delights  of  his 
affections,  which  are  goods  of  charity.  That  this  is  not  contrary 
to  rationality  and  liberty,  however,  but  conformable  to  them,  is 
evident ;  for  rationalitv  causes  the  combat,  and  liberty  executes 
it.  Liberty  itself  also,  with  rationality,  resides  in  the  internal 
man,  and  from  the  internal  in  the  external.  When,  therefore, 
the  internal  conquers,  which  is  the  case  when  it  has  reduced 
the  external  to  consent  and  obedience,  then  liberty  itself  and 
rationality  itself  are  given  to  the  man  by  the  Lord  ;  for  then  he 
is  delivered  by  the  Lord  from  infernal  liberty,  which  in  itself  is 
slavery,  and  placed  in  celestial  liberty,  which  in  itself  is  real 
liberty,  and  he  is  privileged  to  associate  with  angels.  That 
those  are  slaves  who  are  in  sins,  and  that  the  Lord  makes  those 
free  who  receive  truth  from  him  through  the  Word,  he  himself 
teaches  in  John  viii.  31 — 36. 

146.  Let  us  take  an  example  by  way  of  illustration  :  suppose 
a  man,  who  has  perceived  delight  in  frauds  and  clandestine 
thefts,  to  see  and  acknowledge  that  they  are  sins,  and  therefore 
to  will  to  desist  from  them ;  when  he  desists,  there  arises  a 
combat  of  the  internal  man  with  the  external.  The  internal 
man  is  in  the  affection  of  sincerity,  but  the  external  as  vet  in 

t  J  j  t/ 

the  delight  of  defrauding  ;  which  delight,  because  it  is  altogether 
opposite  to  the  delight  of  sincerity,  does  not  recede,  unless  it  .is 
compelled,  nor  can  it  be  compelled  without  a  combat ;  and 
when  he  overcomes,  the  external  man  comes  into  the  delight  of 
the  love  of  sincerity,  which  is  charity  ;  afterwards  successively 
the  delight  of  defrauding  becomes  undeliglitful  to  him.  It  is 

o  O  O 

similar  with  other  sins,  as  with  adultery  and  fornication,  revenge 
and  hatred,  blasphemy  and  lying.  But  the  most  difficult  com¬ 
bat  of  all  is  that  with  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self ; 
he  who  subdues  this,  easily  subdues  other  evil  loves,  because  it 
is  their  head. 

147.  It  shall  also  be  briefly  shown,  in  what  manner  the 
Lord  casts  out  the  concupiscences  of  evil  which  besiege  the  inter¬ 
nal  man  from  his  birth,  and  plants  affections  of  good  in  lieu  of 
them,  when  a  man  as  from  himself  removes  evils  as  sins.  It 
was  shown  above,  that  a  man  has  a  natural  mind,  a  spiritual 
mind,  and  a  celestial  mind ;  that  he  is  in  the  natural  mind  only 
so  long  as  he  is  in  the  concupiscences  of  evil  and  their  delights, 
and  that  so  long  the  spiritual  mind  is  shut ;  but  as  soon  as, 
after  self-examination,  he  acknowledges  evils  as  sins  against  God 
because  they  are  contrary  to  the  divine  laws,  and  therefore  wills 
to  desist  from  them,  then  the  Lord  opens  the  spiritual  mmd, 
and  enters  into  the  natural  by  the  affections  of  truth  and  good ; 
he  also  enters  into  the  rational,  and  from  it  disposes  into  order 
the  things  which  are  below  contrary  to  order,  in  the  natural. 
It  is  this  which  appears  to  a  man  as  a  combat,  and  in  those  who 
have  indulged  much  in  the  delights  of  evil,  as  temptation ;  for 

89 


147—150 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


it  gives  pain  to  the  mind  when  the  order  of  its  thoughts  is 
inverted.  Now  as  the  combat  is  against  the  tnings  which  are 
in  the  man  himself,  and  which  he  feels  as  his  own,  and  no  one 
can  fight  against  himself  except  from  what  is  interior  in  himself, 
and  from  liberty  there,  it  follows  that  the  internal  man  then 
fights  against  the  external,  also  that  he  does  it  from  liberty, 
and  that  he  forces  the  external  to  obedience ;  this,  therefore,  is 
to  force  himself.  It  is  evident  that  this  is  not  contrary  to  liberty 
and  rationality,  but  according  to  them. 

118.  Moreover,  every  man  wills  to  be  free,  and  not  to  re¬ 
move  liberty  but  slavery  from  himself.  Every  boy,  who  is  under 
a  master,  wills  to  be  his  own  master,  and  so  to  be  free.  It  is 
the  same  with  every  man-servant  under  his  master,  and  every 
maid-servant  under  her  mistress.  Every  virgin  also  wills  to 
depart  out  of  her  father’s  house  and  marry,  that  she  may  act 
freely  in  her  own  house  ;  and  every  youth  who  wills  to  work,  or 
traffic,  or  exercise  some  office,  while  he  is  in  servitude  under 
others,  wills  to  be  emancipated,  that  he  may  be  his  own  master. 
All  those  wdio  serve  of  their  own  accord  for  the  sake  of  liberty, 
force  themselves  :  and  in  forcing  themselves  they  act  from  liberty 
according  to  reason,  but  from  interior  liberty,  from  which  ex¬ 
terior  liberty  is  regarded  as  a  servant.  These  considerations 
are  adduced,  in  order  to  confirm  the  position,  that  for  a  man  to 
force  himself  is  not  contrary  to  rationality  and  liberty. 

149.  One  reason  why  a  man  does  not  in  like  manner  desire 

to  come  out  of  spiritual  servitude  into  spiritual  liberty,  is,  that 

he  does  not  know  what  spiritual  servitude  and  spiritual  liberty 

are.  He  has  not  the  truths  which  teach  it,  and  without  them 

spiritual  servitude  is  believed  to  be  liberty,  and  spiritual  liberty 

to  be  servitude.  Another  reason  is,  because  the  religion  of  the 

Christian  world  has  closed  the  understanding,  and  the  doctrine 

of  faith  alone  has  sealed  it ;  for  they  have  both  placed  about 

themselves,  like  an  iron  wall,  this  tenet,  that  theological  things 

are  transcendent,  therefore  are  not  to  be  approached  from  any 

rationality,  and  that  they  are  for  the  blind  and  not  for  those  who 

see.  Bv  this  the  truths  have  been  hid  which  would  teach  what 
•/  # 

spiritual  liberty  is.  A  third  reason  is,  because  few  examine 
themselves,  and  see  their  sins ;  and  he  who  does  not  see  them, 
and  desist  from  them,  is  in  the  liberty  of  them,  wdiich  is  in¬ 
fernal  liberty, — in  itself  servitude  :  and  from  this,  to  see  celestial 
liberty,  which  is  liberty  itself,  is  like  seeing  light  in  darkness, 
and  seeing  under  a  black  cloud  that  which  is  above  it  from  the 
sun.  Hence  it  is,  that  it  is  not  known  what  celestial  liberty  is, 
and  that  the  difference  between  this  and  infernal  liberty  is  like 
the  difference  between  what  is  alive  and  wdiat  is  dead. 

150.  YI.  That  the  external  man  is  to  he  reformed  hy  the 
internal ,  and  not  contrariwise.  By  the  internal  and  the  external 
man  is  meant  the  same  as  by  the  internal  and  the  external  of 

90 


THE  DIVINE  TROVIDENCE. 


150,  151 

thought,  which  have  often  been  treated  of  before.  The  reason 
why  the  external  is  reformed  by  the  internal,  is,  because  the  in¬ 
ternal  Hows  into  the  external,  and  not  vice  versa.  That  there 
is  a  spiritual  influx  into  natural,  ana  not  the  contrary,  is  known 
in  the  learned  world;  and  that  the  internal  man  is  first  to  be 
purified  and  renewed,  and  thereby  the  external,  is  known  in  the 
church.  The  reason  why  it  is  known,  is,  because  the  Lord  and 
reason  declare  it;  the  Lord  teaches  it  in  these  words :  “Wo 
unto  you,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup 
and  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess  : 
thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  the 
platter,  that  the  outside  of  them  may  be  clean  also”  (Matt, 
xxiii.  25,  26).  That  reason  declares  it,  is  shown  abundantly  in 
the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  :  for 
what  the  Lord  teaches,  he  also  enables  a  man  to  perceive  by 
reason,  and  this  in  two  ways  ;  one  of  which  is,  that  he  sees  in 
himself  that  a  thing  is  so  and  so,  as  soon  as  he  hears  it ;  and 
the  other,  that  he  understands  it  by  reasons.  To  see  in  himself 
is  in  his  internal  man,  and  to  understand  by  reasons  is  m  his 
external  man.  Who,  when  he  hears  it  declared,  does  not  see 
in  himself  that  the  internal  man  is  first  to  be  purified,  and  by 
that  the  external?  But  he  who  does  not  receive  a  general  idea 
of  this  by  influx  from  heaven,  may  be  led  into  a  mistake  when 
lie  consults  the  external  of  his  thought ;  for  from  this  alone  no 
one  sees  otherwise  than  that  external  works,  which  are  of  char¬ 
ity  and  piety,  are  saving  without  internal  principles.  It  is  the 
same  in  other  things  ;  as  that  sight  and  hearing  flow  into 
thought,  and  smell  and  taste  into  perception,  and  thus  that  what 
is  external  flows  into  what  is  internal ;  when,  nevertheless,  it  is 
quite  the  contrary.  That  things  seen  and  heard  appear  to  flow 
into  the  thought  is  a  fallacy;  for  the  understanding  sees  in  the 
eye  and  hears  in  the  ear,  and  not  contrariwise.  So  it  is  in  other 
oases. 

151.  But  here  it  may  be  expedient  to  observe  briefly  in 
what  manner  the  internal  man  is  reformed,  and  thereby  the 
external.  The  internal  man  is  not  reformed  by  knowing,  under¬ 
standing,  and  being  wise,  alone  ;  or,  consequently,  by  thinking 
alone;  but  by  willing  that  which  knowledge,  intelligence,  and 
wisdom  teach.  When  a  man  knows,  understands,  and  has 
wisdom  to  see,  that  there  are  a  heaven  and  a  hell,  and  that  all 
evil  is  from  hell,  and  all  good  from  heaven ;  if  then  he  does  not 
will  evil  because  it  is  from  hell,  but  wills  good  because  it  is 
from  heaven,  he  is  in  the  first  step  of  reformation,  and  in  the 
entrance  out  of  hell  into  heaven.  When  he  advances  further, 
and  wills  to  desist  from  evils,  he  is  in  the  second  step  of  refor¬ 
mation,  and  is  then  out  of  hell,  but  not  yet  in  heaven,  which 
he  sees  above  him.  There  must  be  this  internal,  in  order  that 
91 


151,  152 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


a  man  may  be  reformed  ;  but  unless  the  external,  as  well  as  the 
internal,  be  reformed,  the  man  is  not  reformed.  The  external 
is  reformed  by  the  internal,  when  the  former  desists  from  the 
evils  which  the  latter  does  not  will  because  they  are  infernal, 
and  more  so  when  he  therefore  shuns  them  and  tights  against 
them.  Thus,  the  internal  is  to  will,  and  the  external  is  to  do ; 
for  unless  a  person  does  that  which  he  wills,  there  is  within  a 
principle  which  wills  it  not,  and  at  length  he  comes  not  to  will  it. 
From  these  few  considerations  it  may  be  seen,  how  the  external 
man  is  reformed  by  the  internal.  This  also  is  what  is  meant  by 
the  Lord’s  words  to  Peter  :  “  Jesus  said,  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou 
hast  no  part  with  me.  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  not  my 
feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head.  Jesus  saith  to  him, 
He  that  is  washed,  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is 
clean  every  whit”  (John  xiii.  8,  9,  10).  By  washing  is  here 
meant  spiritual  washing,  which  is  purification  from  evils :  by 
washing  the  head  and  the  hands  is  meant  to  purify  the  internal 
man,  and  by  washing  the  feet  is  meant  to  purify  the  external. 
That  when  the  internal  man  is  purified,  the  external  is  to  be 
purified  is  meant  by  these  words  :  u  ILe  that  is  washed,  needeth 
not  save  to  wash  his  feet.”  That  all  purification  from  evils  >s 
from  the  Lord,  is  meant  by  these  words  :  uIf  I  wash  thee  net, 
thou  hast  no  part  with  me.”  That  washing  among  the  Jews 
represented  purification  from  evils ;  that  this  is  signified  by 
washing  in  the  Word  ;  and  that  by  washing  the  feet  is  signified 
the  purification  of  the  natural  or  external  man,  is  abundantly 
shown  in  the  Arcana  Ccelestia. 

152.  Since  every  man  has  an  internal  and  an  external,  and 
both  are  to  be  reformed  in  order  that  the  man  may  be  reformed  ; 
and  since  no  one  can  be  reformed  except  he  examine  himself, 
see,  and  acknowledge  his  evils,  and  afterwards  desist  from  them, 
it  follows,  that  not  only  is  the  external  to  be  explored,  but  also 
the  internal.  If  the  external  only  is  explored  the  man  does  not 
see  any  thing  but  what  he  has  or  has  not  actually  committed ; 
as,  that  he  has  not  committed  murder,  adultery,  or  theft,  or 
borne  false  witness,  &c.  Thus  he  explores  the  evils  of  his 
body,  and  not  those  of  his  spirit ;  and  yet  the  latter  are  to  be  ex¬ 
plored  in  order  that  any  one  may  be  reformed ;  for  a  man  lives  a 
spirit  after  death,  and  all  the  evils  which  are  in  him  remain ; 
and  the  spirit  is  no  otherwise  explored  than  by  the  man’s  at¬ 
tending  to  his  thoughts,  especially  to  his  intentions,  for  these  are 
thoughts  from  the  will.  In  the  will,  evils  are  in  their  origin  and 
root,  that  is,  in  their  concupiscences  and  delights ;  and  unless 
they  are  seen  and  acknowledged,  the  man  is  still  in  evils,  although 
he  may  not  have  externally  committed  them.  That  to  think  from 
intention,  is  to  will  and  to  do,  is  evident  from  these  words  ol 
the  Lord  :  “  Whosoever  locketh  on  a  woman,  to  lust  after  herr 
92 


THE  DIVINE  PEC  VIDENCE. 


152—154 


hath  committed  adultery  with  lier  already  in  his  heart”  (Matt, 
v.  28).  Such  is  the  search  of  the  internal  man,  by  which  the 
external  man  is  essentially  explored. 

153.  I  have  often  wondered,  that  although  the  whole  Chris¬ 
tian  world  is  informed  that  evils  are  to  be  shunned  as  sins, 
otherwise  they  are  not  remitted,  and  that  if  not  remitted,  there 
is  no  salvation,  yet  nevertheless  scarce  one  in  a  thousand  knows 
it.  This  was  inquired  into  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  it  was 
found  to  be  so  ;  for  every  one  in  the  Christian  world  is  informed 
of  it  from  the  prayers  read  before  those  who  receive  the  holy 
supper,  it  being  plainly  declared  therein;  and  yet  when  they 
are  asked  whether  they  know  this,  they  answer  that  they  do 
not,  and  did  not  know  it ;  the  reason  of  which  is,  that  they  did 
not  think  about  it,  and  most  of  them  only  thought  of  faith,  and 
of  salvation  by  it  alone.  I  have  also  wondered,  that  faith  alone 
so  shuts  the  eyes,  that  those  who  have  confirmed  themselves  in 
it,  when  they  read  the  Word,  see  nothing  of  what  is  there  said 
concerning  love,  charity,  and  works.  It  is  as  though  they  had 
smeared  over  all  things  in  the  Word  with  faith,  as  he  who 
smears  over  a  writing  with  paint,  by  which  nothing  which  is 
underneath  appears  ;  or  if  any  thing  appears,  it  is  absorbed  by 
faith,  and  said  to  be  faith. 


THAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  THAT  A  MAN 
SHOULD  BE  LED  AND  TAUGHT  FROM  THE  LORD  OUT  OF 
HEAVEN  BY  THE  WORD,  AND  BY  DOCTRINE  AND  PREACHING 
FROM  THE  WORD,  AND  THIS  IN  ALL  APPEARANCE  AS  FROM 
HIMSELF. 

154.  In  appearance  a  man  is  led  and  taught  from  himself, 
but  in  truth  he  is  led  and  taught  from  the  Lm*d  only.  Those 
who  confirm  in  themselves  the  appearance,  and  not  at  the  same 
time  the  truth,  are  not  able  to  remove  from  themselves  evils 
as  sins  ;  but  those  who  confirm  in  themselves  the  appearance, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  truth,  are  able ;  for  evils  as  sins  are 
removed  in  appearance  by  man,  and  in  truth  by  the  Lord. 
The  latter  persons  can  be  reformed,  but  the  former  cannot. 
Those  who  confirm  in  themselves  the  appearance,  and  not  at 
the  same  time  the  truth,  are  all  interior  idolators ;  for  they  are 
worshipers  of  self  and  the  world.  If  they  have  no  religion, 
they  become  worshipers  of  nature,  and  thus  Atheists  ;  but  if 
they  have  any  religion,  they  become  worshipers  of  men,  and 
at  the  same  time  of  images  ;  and  these  are  they  who  are  meant 
in  the  first  commandment  of  the  decalogue,  who  worship  other 
gods.  But  those  who  confirm,  in  themselves  the  appearance, 
93 


154—157 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  at  the  same  time  the  truth,  become  worshipers  of  the  Lord  ; 
for  the  Lord  elevates  them  from  their  proprium  (or  own  proper 
life),  which  is  principled  in  appearance,  and  leads  them  into 
light,  in  which  is  the  truth,  and  which  is  the  truth,  and  gives 
them  to  perceive  interiorly,  that  they  are  not  led  and  taught  of 
themselves,  but  of  the  Lord.  The  rational  faculty  of  both  these 
descriptions  of  persons  may  appear  to  many  as  similar,  but  it  is 
dissimilar :  the  rational  faculty  of  those  who  are  principled  in 
appearance,  and  at  the  same  time  in  the  truth,  is  a  spiritual 
rational ;  but  the  rational  faculty  of  those  who  are  principled  in 
appearance,  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  the  truth,  is  a  natural 
rational.  The  latter  rational  faculty  may  be  compared  to  a  gar¬ 
den  as  it  is  in  the  light  of  winter ;  while  the  spiritual  rational 
faculty  may  be  compared  to  a  garden  as  it  is  in  the  light  of 
spring.  But  on  this  subject  more  will  be  stated,  in  the  following 
order.  I.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone. 
II.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone  by  the  an- 
gelic  heaven  and  from  it.  III.  That  a  man  is  led  of  the  Lord 
by  influx,  and  taught  by  illumination.  IV.  That  a  man  is 
taught  of  the  Lord  by  the  W ord,  and  by  doctrine  and  preaching 
from  the  Word,  thus  immediately  bv  him  alone.  V.  That  a 
man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  in  externals,  to  all  appearance 
as  of  himself. 

155.  I.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone. 
This  flows,  as  a  universal  consequence,  from  all  that  was  shown 
in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom  ;  as  well  from  what  is  there  demonstrated  concerning 
the  divine  love  of  the  Lord  and  his  divine  wisdom,  in  part  the 
first ;  as  from  what  is  said  concerning  the  sun  of  the  spiritual 
world,  and  the  sun  of  the  natural  world,  in  part  the  second ;  and 
also  concerning  degrees,  in  part  the  third ;  concerning  the  crea¬ 
tion  of  the  universe,  in  part  the  fourth  ;  and  concerning  the  cre¬ 
ation  of  man,  in  part  the  fifth. 

156.  The  reason  why  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord 
alone,  is,  because  he  lives  from  the  Lord  alone ;  for  the  will 
of  his  life  is  led,  and  the  understanding  of  his  life  is  taught. 
This,  however,  is  contrary  to  appearance ;  for  it  appears  to  a 
man  as  if  he  lived  from  himself,  and  yet  the  truth  is,  that  he 
lives  from  the  Lord,  and  not  from  himself.  Now,  since  there 
cannot  be  given  to  a  man,  so  long  as  he  is  in  the  world,  a  sen¬ 
sible  perception  that  he  lives  from  the  Lord  only,  because  the 
appearance  that  he  lives  from  himself  is  not  taken  away  from 
him  (for  without  it  a  man  is  not  a  man),  therefore  this  must  be 
evinced  by  reasons,  which  are  afterwards  to  be  confirmed  by  ex¬ 
perience,  and  lastly  by  the  Word. 

157.  That  a  man  lives  from  the  Lord  alone,  and  not  from 
himself,  may  be  evinced  by  these  reasons  :  that  there  is  one 
only  essence,  one  only  substance,  and  one  only  form,  from 

*  94 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


157 


which  are  all  the  essences,  substances,  and  forms  that  are 
created ;  that  the  one  only  essence,  substance,  and  form,  is  the 
divine  love  and  the  divine  wisdom,  from  which  are  all  things 
that  have  relation  to  love  and  wisdom  in  a  man ;  that  moreover 
it  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself,  to  which  all  things  have  relation  ; 
and  that  these  are  life,  from  which  are  the  life  of  all  things  and 
all  things  of  life:  also,  that  the  self-subsisting  and  sole-subsisting 
principle  is  omnipresent,  omniscient,  and  omnipotent ;  and  that 
this  self-subsisting  and  sole-subsisting  principle  is  the  Lord  from 
eternity,  or  Jehovah.  First,  That  there  is  one  only  essence ,  one 
only  substance ,  and  one  only  form,  from  which  are  all  the  essences , 
substances ,  and  forms  that  are  created.  It  was  shown  in  the 
treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n. 
44 — 16,  and  in  part  the  second  of  the  same  work,  that  the  sun 
of  the  angelic  heaven,  which  is  from  the  Lord,  and  in  which  is 
the  Lord,  is  that  sole  or  only  substance  and  form,  from  which 
all  things  are  created ;  and  that  nothing  does  exist,  or  can  exist, 
which  is  not  from  it.  That  all  things  are  from  it  by  derivations, 
according  to  degrees,  is  shown  there  in  part  the  third.  Who 
does  not  perceive  and  acknowledge  from  reason,  that  there  is 
one  sole  Essence,  from  which  is  all  essence,  or  one  sole  Esse, 
from  which  is  all  esse  f  What  can  exist  without  an  Esse,  and 


what  is  that  Esse  from  which  is  all  esse,  but  Esse  itself,  and  that 
which  is  Esse  itself,  is  also  the  sole  Esse,  and  in  itself  Esse. 
This  being  the  case,  and  every  one  perceiving  and  acknowledg¬ 
ing  this  from  reason,  or  at  least  being  capable  of  perceiving  and 
acknowledging  it,  what  else  then  follows  but  that  this  Esse. 
which  is  the  Divine  itself,  which  is  Jehovah,  is  all  in  all  things 
which  are  and  exist  ?  It  is  the  same  thing  if  it  be  said,  that 
there  is  one  sole  substance,  from  which  are  all  things  ;  and  since 
a  substance  without  a  form  is  nothing,  it  follows  also,  that  there 
is  one  sole  form,  from  which  are  all  things.  That  the  sun  of 
the  angelic  heaven  is  that  sole  substance,  and  form ;  and  how 
that  essence,  substance,  and  form,  is  varied  in  things  created, 
is  demonstrated  in  the  above-mentioned  treatise.  Secondly, 
That  the  one  only  essence,  substance ,  and  form,  is  the  divine  love 
and  the  divine  wisdom  ;  f  rom  which  are  all  things  that  have  rela¬ 
tion  to  love  and  wisdom  in  man,  is  also  fully  shown  in  the  trea¬ 
tise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom.  Whatever 
things  in  a  man  appear  to  live,  have  relation  to  the  will  and  the 
understanding  in  him ;  and  that  these  two  principles  constitute 
his  life,  every  one  from  reason  perceives  and  acknowledges. 
Why  else  is  it  so  constantly  said,  I  will  this  or  I  understand 
tnis,  or  I  love  this  or  I  think  this  ?  And  since  a  man  wills 
what  he  loves,  and  thinks  what  he  understands,  therefore  all 
things  of  the  will  have  relation  to  love,  and  all  things  of  the 
understanding  to  wisdom :  and  as  these  two  principles  cannot 
exist  in  any  one  from  himself,  but  from  him  who  is  love  itself 
95 


157 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  wisdom  itself,  it  follows  that  it  is  from  the  Lord  from 
eternity  or  Jehovah.  If  this  were  not  the  origin  of  those  prin¬ 
ciples,  a  man  would  be  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  therefore 
God  from  eternity,  at  which  human  reason  itself  is  struck  with 
horror.  Can  any  thing  exist  but  from  what  is  prior  to  itself, 
and  can  this  prior  exist  but  from  what  is  still  prior  to  it,  and 
thus  finally  from  the  first,  which  is  in  itself?  Thirdly:  That 
in  like  manner ,  it  is  good  itself  and  tmith  itself  '  to  which  all 
things  have  relation.  It  is  received  and  acknowledged  by  every 
one  who  has  reason,  that  God  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself,  and 
that  every  thing  good  and  true  is  from  him ;  therefore,  also, 
that  what  is  good  and  true  cannot  come  from  anv  other  source 

i  «  o  t / 

than  from  good  and  truth  itself.  These  things  are  acknowledged 
by  every  rational  man  as  soon  as  they  are  heard.  When  it  is 
next  said,  that  every  thing  of  the  will  and  understanding,  or 
every  thing  of  love  and  wisdom,  or  everv  thing  of  affection  and 
thought  with  the  man  who  is  led  of  the  Lord,  has  relation  to  good 
and  truth,  it  follows,  that  all  which  such  a  man  wills  and  under¬ 
stands,  or  which  he  loves  and  is  wise  in,  or  by  which  he  is  affected 
and  which  he  thinks,  is  from  the  Lord.  Hence  it  is,  that  every 
one  in  the  church  knows  that  every  thing  good  and  every  thing 
true  from  a  man,  is  in  itself  not  good  and  true,  but  only  that 
which  is  from  the  Lord.  As  this  is  a  truth,  it  follows,  that  all 
that  which  such  a  man  wills  and  thinks  is  from  the  Lord.  That 
neither  can  a  wicked  man  will  and  think  from  any  other  origin, 
will  be  seen  in  what  follows.  Fourthly,  That  those  principles 
are  life,  from  which  are  the  life  of  all  things  and  all  things  of 
life ,  is  abundantly  shown  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine  Wisdom.  Human  reason  also,  at  the  first  hear¬ 
ing,  receives  and  acknowledges,  that  all  a  man’s  life  is  of  his 
will  and  understanding ;  for  if  the  will  and  understanding  be 
taken  away,  he  does  not  live ;  or,  what  is  the  same,  that  all  a 
man’s  life  is  of  his  love  and  his  thought,  for  if  love  and  thought 
be  taken  away,  he  does  not  live.  How  because  every  thing  of  the 
will  and  understanding,  or  every  thing  of  love  and  thought  in  a 
man  is  from  the  Lord,  as  was  said  above,  it  follows,  that  every 
thing  of  life  is  from  him.  Fifthly,  That  the  self-subsisting  and 
sole-subsisting  principle  is  omnipresent ,  omniscient ,  and  omni¬ 
potent.  This  also  every  Christian  acknowledges  from  his  doc¬ 
trine,  and  every  Gentile  from  his  religion  ;  hence  also,  every  one, 
in  whatever  place  he  is,  thinks  that  God  is  where  he  is,  and  that 
he  should  pray  to  God  as  present ;  and  since  every  one  so  thinks, 
and  so  prays,  it  follows,  that  he  cannot  think  otherwise  than 
that  God  is  everywhere,  therefore  omnipresent ;  in  like  manner, 
that  he  is  omniscient  and  omnipotent ;  therefore  every  one 
praying  to  God  implores  from  his  heart,  that  he  would  lead  him, 
because  he  is  able  to  do  so.  Thus  every  one  then  acknowledges 
the  divine  omnipresence,  omniscience,  and  omnipotence;  he 
96 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


157—159 


acknowledges,  because  lie  then  turns  his  face  to  the  Lord,  from 
whom  that  truth  then  flows.  Sixthly,  That  this  self-subsisting 
and  sole-subsisting  principle  is  the  Lord  from  eternity ,  or  Jehovah . 
In  The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord, 
it  is  shown,  that  God  is  one  in  essence  and  in  person,  and  that 
that  God  is  the  Lord ;  that  the  divine  itself,  which  is  called 
Jehovah  the  Father,  is  the  Lord  from  eternity;  that  the  divine 
human  is  the  Son  conceived  from  his  divine  from  eternity,  and 
borji  in  the  world ;  and  that  the  divine  proceeding  is  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  is  said  to  be  self-subsisting  and  sole-subsisting, 
because  it  was  stated  before,  that  the  Lord  from  eternity,  or 
Jehovah,  is  life  itself,  being  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  or  good 
itself  and  truth  itself,  from  which  are  all  things.  That  the  Lord 
created  all  things  out  of  himself,  and  not  out  of  nothing,  may 
be  seen  in  the  treatise  on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  n.  282 — 281,  n.  319 — 357.  By  the  above  considera¬ 
tions,  this  truth,  that  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone, 
is  confirmed  by  reasons. 

158.  This  same  truth  is  confirmed,  not  only  by  reasons,  but 
also  by  living  perceptions  among  the  angels,  especially  the  angels 
of  the  third  heaven.  These  perceive  the  influx  of  divine  love 
and  divine  wisdom  from  the  Lord ;  and  because  they  perceive 
it,  and  from  their  wisdom  know  that  these  principles  are  life, 
therefore  they  say  that  they  live  from  the  Lord,  and  not  from 
themselves ;  and  they  not  only  say  this,  but  also  love  and  desire 
that  it  may  be  so.  Yet  they  are  still  in  all  appearance  as  if  they 
lived  from  themselves,  in  a  stronger  appearance,  indeed,  than 
other  angels  ;  for  as  was  shown  above,  n.  12 — 15,  in  proportion 
as  any  one  is  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord ,  he  appears  to 
himself  more  distinctly  as  his  own ,  and  perceives  more  evidently 
that  he  is  the  Lord's.  It  has  been  granted  me  also  to  be  in  a 
similar  perception  and  appearance  now  for  many  years ;  from 
which  I  am  fully  comfinced,  that  I  neither  will  nor  think  any 
thing  from  myself,  but  that  it  appears  as  from  myself;  and  it 
is  also  given  me  to  desire  and  loim  this.  The  same  may  be 
confirmed  by  many  other  considerations  from  the  spiritual  world, 
but  these  two  may  be  sufficient  at  present. 

159.  That  the  Lord  alone  is  life,  is  evident  from  tnese  pa* 

sages  in  the  Word :  u  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life :  ho 
that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  Avere  dead,  yet  shall  he  live” 
(John  xi.  25).  “  I  am  the  Avay,  the  truth,  and  the  life”  (John 

xiv.  6).  “  God  was  the  Word.  In  him  was  life;  and  the  life 
was  the  light  of  men”  (John  i.  1,  1).  The  Word  there  is  the 
Lord.  u  As  the  Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  gi\Ten  to 
the  Son  to  have  life  in  himself”  (John  v.  26).  That  a  man  is 
led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  only,  is  evident  from  these  passages  : 
“  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing”  (John  xv.  5).  “  A  man  can 

receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven”  (John  iii 

97 


159—162 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


27).  “  A  man  cannot  make  one  hair  white  or  black”  (Matt.  ▼ 

36) ;  by  a  hair  in  the  Word  is  signified  the  least  of  all  things. 

160.  That  the  life  of  the  wicked  is  also  from  the  same  origin, 
will  he  demonstrated  hereafter  in  its  proper  article.  It  will  here 
only  he  illustrated  by  comparison.  From  the  sun  of  the  world 
flow  both  heat  and  light ;  and  they  flow  alike  into  trees  which 
hear  evil  fruit  and  into  those  which  hear  good  fruit,  and  they 
vegetate  and  grow  alike.  The  forms  into  which  the  heat  flows, 
cause  the  difference ;  it  is  not  the  heat  itself.  It  is  similar  with 
light,  which  is  variegated  in  colours  according  to  the  forms  into 
which  it  flows.  There  are  beautiful  and  lively  colours,  and  there 
are  ugly  and  dull  colours,  yet  still  the  light  is  the  same.  It  is 
similar  with  the  influx  of  spiritual  heat,  which  in  itself  is  love ; 
and  of  spiritual  light,  which  in  itself  is  wisdom,  from  the  sun 
of  the  spiritual  world.  The  forms  into  which  they  flow,  cause 
the  difference,  hut  not  that  heat  which  is  love  and  that  light 
which  is  wisdom  in  themselves.  The  forms  into  which  they  flow 
are  human  minds.  From  these  considerations  then  it  is  evident, 
that  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone. 

161.  But  what  the  life  of  animals  is,  was  shown  abov3, 
namelv,  that  it  is  a  life  of  affection  merelv  natural,  with  its  con- 
comitant  science;  and  that  it  is  a  mediate  life  corresponding  to 
the  life  of  those  which  are  in  the  spiritual  world. 

162.  II.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone , 
by  the  angelic  heaven ,  and  from  it.  It  is  said  that  a  man  is  led 
of  the  Lord  by  the  angelic  heaven,  and  from  it ;  but  that  it  :  s 
by  the  angelic  heaven,  is  according  to  appearance,  whereas,  that 
it  is  from  it,  is  according  to  the  truth.  The  reason  why  there 
is  an  appearance  that  it  is  by  the  angelic  heaven,  is,  because  the 
Lord  appears  above  that  heaven  as  the  sun ;  and  the  reason  why 
it  is  a  truth  that  it  is  from  that  heaven,  is,  because  the  Lord 
in  that  heaven  is  as  the  soul  in  a  man :  for  the  Lord  is  omni¬ 
present,  and  is  not  in  space,  as  was  shown  before;  therefore 
distance  is  an  appearance,  according  to  conjunction  with  him, 
conjunction  being  according  to  the  reception  of  love  and  wisdom 
from  him ;  and  since  no  one  can  he  conjoined  to  the  Lord  as  he 
is  in  himself,  therefore  he  appears  to  the  angels  at  a  distance  as 
a  sun :  nevertheless  he  is  in  the  universal  angelic  heaven  like 
the  soul  in  a  man,  and  in  like  manner  in  every  society  of  heaven, 
and  in  every  angel  there;  for  a  man’s  soul  is  not  only  the  soul 
of  the  whole,  but  also  of  each  part  of  him.  Since,  however,  it 
is  from  appearance  that  the  Lord  rules  the  universal  heaven,  and 
by  it  the  world  from  the  sun  which  is  from  him,  and  in  which 
he  is  (concerning  which  sun  see  the  treatise  on  The  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  TVTsdom,  Part  II.);  and  since  it  is 
allowable  for  any  man  to  speak  from  appearance,  nor  can  he 
indeed  do  otherwise,  therefore  also  it  is  allowable  for  any  one, 
who  is  not  principled  in  wisdom  itself,  to  think,  that  tbe  Lord 

98 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


162—164 


ides  all  and  every  tiring  from  liis  sun,  and  also  that  lie  rules  the 
world  by  the  angelic  heaven.  From  such  appearance  also  the 
angels  of  the  inferior  heavens  think  ;  but  the  angels  of  the  supe¬ 
rior  heavens,  although  they  speak  from  appearance,  think  from 
the  truth,  which  is  that  the  Lord  rules  the  universe  from  the 
angelic  heaven,  which  is  from  himself.  That  the  simple  and 
the  wise  speak  alike,  but  do  not  think  alike,  may  be  illustrated 
from  the  sun  of  the  world.  Of  this  sun  all  men  speak  from  the 
appearance  that  it  rises  and  sets ;  but  the  wise,  although  they 
speak  in  like  manner,  still  think  that  it  stands  immovable,  which 
also  is  the  truth,  while  the  contrary  is  an  appearance.  The  same 
may  also  be  illustrated  from  appearances  in  the  spiritual  world  ; 
for  in  that  world  there  appear  spaces  and  distances  as  in  the 
natural  world,  but  still  they  are  appearances  according  to  the 
dissimilitude  of  affections  and  thoughts  thence  derived.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  appearance  of  the  Lord  in  his  sun. 

163.  But  how  the  Lord  leads  and  teaches  every  man  from 
the  angelic  heaven  must  be  briefly  explained.  In  the  treatise 
on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  and  above,  in 
this  treatise  on  The  Divine  Providence,  also  in  the  work  on 
Heaven  and  Hell,  published  in  London  in  the  year  1758,  from 
things  seen  and  heard,  it  is  made  known,  that  the  universal 
angelic  heaven  appears  before  the  Lord  as  one  man,  and  in  like 
manner  each  society  in  heaven,  and  that  thence  it  is,  that  each 
particular  angel  and  spirit  is  in  a  perfect  human  form.  More¬ 
over,  in  the  above-named  treatises  it  is  shown,  that  heaven  is 
not  heaven  from  tli q  projprium  of  the  angels,  but  from  the  recep¬ 
tion  of  divine  love  and  divine  wisdom  from  the  Lord  by  the  angels. 
Hence  it  may  appear,  that  the  Lord  rules  the  universal  angelic 
heaven  as  one  man ;  that  that  heaven,  because  it  is  a  man,  is 
the  very  image  and  likeness  of  the  Lord ;  that  the  Lord  himself 
rules  that  heaven,  as  the  soul  rules  its  body ;  and,  because  the 
universal  human  race  is  ruled  by  the  Lord,  that  it  is  not  ruled 
by  heaven,  but  from  heaven  by  the  Lord,  consequently  from  him¬ 
self,  because,  as  was  said,  he  himself  is  heaven. 

164.  But  as  this  is  an  arcanum  of  angelic  wisdom,  it  can 
only  be  comprehended  by  the  man  whose  spiritual  mind  is  opened, 
such  a  man,  by  virtue  of  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  being  an 
angel;  and  by  such  a  one,  from  what  has  been  premised,  the 
following  particulars  may  be  comprehended  :  1.  That  all,  men  as 
well  as  angels,  are  in  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  in  them,  according 
to  conjunction  with  him,  or,  what  is  the  same,  according  to 
their  reception  of  love  and  wisdom  from  him.  2.  That  every 
one  of  these  has  his  place  appointed  in  the  Lord,  therefore  in 
heaven,  according  to  the  quality  of  his  conjunction  with  or  re¬ 
ception  of  him  3.  That  every  one  in  his  place  has  his  state 
distinct  from  the  state  of  others  ;  and  that  from  the  common 
body  he  derives  his  task  according  to  his  situation,  his  function, 

09  h 


164 — 166 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  his  necessity,  just  in  the  same  manner  as  does  any  par¬ 
ticular  part  in  the  human  body.  4.  That  every  man  is  initiated 
into  his  place  by  the  Lord  according  to  his  life.  5.  That  every 
man  from  infancy  is  introduced  into  that  Divine  Man,  whose 
soul  and  life  is  the  Lord,  and  that  he  is  led  and  taught  from  his 
divine  love  according  to  his  divine  wisdom,  in  him  and  not  out 
of  him  ;  but  because  liberty  is  not  taken  away  from  any  man 
that  he  cannot  otherwise  be  led  and  taught  than  according  to 
reception  as  if  from  himself.  6.  That  those  who  receive  are 
conducted  to  their  places,  through  infinite  windings  and  mean- 
derings,  as  it  were,  nearly  in  the  same  manner  as  the  chyle  is 
conveyed  through  the  mesentery  and  lacteal  vessels  into  its  re¬ 
ceptacle,  and  thence  through  the  thoracic  duct  into  the  blood, 
and  so  into  its  proper  place.  7.  That  those  who  do  not  receive, 
are  separated  from  those  who  are  within  the  Divine  Man,  as  ex¬ 
crement  and  urine  are  secreted  and  separated  by  a  man.  These 
are  arcana  of  angelic  wisdom,  which  a  man  may  in  some  measure 
comprehend  ;  but  there  are  many  which  he  cannot. 

165.  III.  That  a  man  is  led  of  the  Lord  by  influx ,  and 
taught  by  illumination.  The  reason  why  a  man  is  led  of  the  Lord 
by  influx,  is,  because  to  be  led  and  also  to  flow-in  are  predicated 
of  love  and  of  the  will ;  and  the  reason  why  he  is  taught  of  the 
Lord  by  illumination,  is,  because  to  be  taught  and  to  be  illumi¬ 
nated  are  properly  predicated  of  wisdom  and  of  the  understanding. 
It  is  well  known  that  every  man  from  his  own  love  is  led  of  him¬ 
self,  and  according  to  it  by  others,  and  not  by  the  understanding. 
He  is  led  by  the  understanding  and  according  to  it,  only  when 
the  love  or  the  will  makes  the  understanding  :  and  when  this  is 
the  case,  it  may  also  be  said  of  the  understanding,  that  it  is  led  ; 
but  yet  the  understanding  is  not  then  led,  but  the  wflll  from 
which  it  is  derived.  It  is  called  influx,  because  it  is  customary 
to  say,  that  the  soul  flowTs  into  the  body,  that  influx  is  spiritual 
and  not  physical,  and  that  a  man’s  soul  or  life  is  his  love  or  will, 
as  was  shown  before ;  also,  because  influx  is  comparatively  like 
the  influx  of  the  blood  into  the  heart,  and  from  the  heart  into 
the  lungs.  That  there  is  a  correspondence  of  the  heart  with 
the  will,  and  of  the  lungs  with  the  understanding,  and  that  the 
conjunction  of  the  will  with  the  understanding  is  like  the  influx 
of  the  blood  out  of  the  heart  into  the  lungs,  is  shown  in  the  treatise 
on  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  371 — 132. 

166.  But  the  reason  why  a  man  is  taught  bv  illumination,  is, 
because  to  be  taught  and  also  to  be  illuminated  are  predicated 
of  the  understanding ;  for  the  understanding,  which  is  a  man’s 
internal  sight,  is  no  otherwise  illuminated  by  spiritual  light  than 
as  a  man’s  eye  or  external  sight  is  by  natural  light.  In  like 
manner  also  both  are  taught ;  but  the  internal  sight,  which  is 
of  the  understanding,  by  spiritual  objects,  and  the  external  sight, 
which  is  of  the  eve,  by  natural  objects.  There  are  spiritual 

100 


THE  DIVIDE  PROVIDENCE. 


166,  16T 


light  and  natural  light,  both  alike  as  to  external  appearance,  but 
unlike  as  to  internal;  for  natural  light  is  from  the  sun  of  the 
natural  world,  and  thence  in  itself  void  of  life ;  but  spiritual 
light  is  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  thence  in  itself 
livino’ ;  it  is  this  which  illuminates  the  human  understanding, 
and  not  natural  light.  Natural  and  rational  illumination  is  not 
from  the  latter  light,  but  from  the  former.  It  is  called  natural 
and  rational  illumination,  because  it  is  spiritual-natural ;  for 
there  are  three  degrees  of  light  in  the  spiritual  world, — celestial 
light,  spiritual  light,  and  spiritual-natural  light.  Celestial  light 
is  a  ruddy  flaming  light,  and  is  with  those  who  are  in  the  third 
heaven  ;  spiritual  light  is  a  white  shining  light,  and  is  with  those 
who  are  in  the  middle  heaven;  and  spiritual-natural  light  is 
such  as  is  the  light  of  day  in  our  world,  and  is  with  those  who 
are  in  the  last  or  lowest  heaven,  as  well  as  with  those  who  are 
in  the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  midway  between  heaven  and 
hell ;  but  this  light,  in  the  latter  world,  is  with  the  good  like 
the  light  of  summer,  and  with  the  wicked  like  the  light  of  winter 
upon  earth.  It  is  to  be  observed,  however,  that  all  the  light  ot 
the  spiritual  world  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  light  of  the 
natural  world  ;  they  being  as  different  as  life  and  death.  From 
these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  natural  light,  such  as  we 
have  before  our  eyes,  does  not  illuminate  the  understanding, 
but  spiritual  light.  Men  are  ignorant  of  this,  because  heretofore 
they  knew  nothing  of  spiritual  light.  That  spiritual  light  is  in 
its  origin  divine  wisdom,  or  divine  truth,  is  shown  in  the  work 
on  Heaven  and  Hell,  n.  126 — 110. 

167.  As  the  light  of  heaven  has  now  been  spoken  of,  it 
may  be  expedient  to  say  something  also  of  the  light  of  hell. 
This  is  also  of  three  degrees :  the  light  in  the  lowest  hell  being 
like  the  light  of  burning  coals;  the  light  in  the  middle  hell  like 
that  from  the  flame  of  a  wood  fire;  and  the  light  in  the  highest 
hell  like  the  light  of  candles,  and  to  some  like  the  light  of  the 
moon,  by  night.  These  lights,  however,  are  not  natural,  but 
spiritual;  for  all  natural  light  is  dead,  and  extinguishes  the 
understanding.  Those  who  are  in  hell  have  the  faculty  of  un¬ 
derstanding,  which  is  called  rationality,  as  was  shown  before, 
and  rationality  itself  is  from  spiritual  light,  and  not  in  the  least 
from  natural  light ;  but  the  spiritual  light  which  they  have  from 
rationality  is  turned  into  infernal  light,  as  the  light  of  day  into 
the  darkness  of  night.  Yet  all  who  are  in  the  spiritual  world, 
as  well  those  who  are  in  the  heavens  as  those  who  are  in  the 
hells,  see  in  their  own  light  as  clearly  as  man  does  in  his  by  day  : 
the  reason  of  which  is,  that  the  eye  of  every  one  is  formed  for 
the  reception  of  the  light  in  which  he  is ;  consequently,  the  eyes 
of  the  angels  of  heaven  for  the  reception  of  the  light  in  which 
they  are,  and  the  eyes  of  the  spirits  of  hell  for  the  reception  of 
their  light.  With  the  latter  it  is  comparatively  as  with  owls  gud 
101 


167,  168 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


bats,  which  see  objects  as  clearly  in  the  night  as  other  birds  see 
them  in  the  day  ;  for  their  eyes  are  formed  for  the  reception  of 
their  own  light.  But  the  difference  between  these  kinds  of  light 
appears  clearly  to  those  who  look  out-  of  one  light  into  another  : 
as  when  an  angel  of  heaven  looks  into  hell,  he  sees  nothing 

' —  *  o 

there  but  mere  darkness ;  and  when  a  spirit  of  hell  looks  into 
heaven,  he  sees  nothing  there  but  darkness  ;  the  reason  of  which 
is,  that  celestial  wisdom  is  as  darkness  to  those  who  are  in  hell, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  infernal  insanity  is  as  darkness  to  those 
who  are  in  heaven.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  such  as  a  man’s 
understanding  is,  such  is  his  light ;  and  that  every  one  comes 
into  his  own  light  after  death,  for  he  does  not  see  in  any  other  : 
and  in  the  spiritual  world,  where  all  are  spiritual  even  as  to 
their  bodies,  the  eyes  of  all  are  formed  to  see  from  their  own 
light;  the  life’s  love  of  everyone  making  to  itself  an  under¬ 
standing,  and  so  also  a  light ;  for  love  is  as  the  fire  of  life,  from 
which  is  the  light  of  life. 


168.  As  few  know  anv  thing  of  the  illumination,  in  which 
exists  the  understanding  of  the  man  who  is  taught  of  the  Lord, 
therefore  something  must  be  said  concerning  it.  There  is  in- 
terior  and  exterior  illumination  from  the  Lord,  and  there  is  also 
interior  and  exterior  illumination  from  man.  Interior  illumi¬ 
nation  from  the  Lord  is  that  by  which  a  man  at  first  hearing 
perceives  whether  what  is  said  be  true  or  not  true ;  and  exterior 
illumination  is  derived  thence  in  the  thought.  Interior  illumi¬ 
nation  from  man  is  from  confirmation  alone ;  and  exterior 
illumination  from  man  is  from  science  alone.  But  to  speak  of 
each  more  particularly :  A  rational  man  l>y  interior  illumination 
from  the  Lord  immediately  perceives,  on  hearing  them,  whether 
things  are  true  or  not ;  as  for  example,  that  love  is  the  life  of 
faith,  or  that  faith  lives  from  love.  A  man  from  interior  illumi¬ 
nation  also  perceives  this,  that  whatever  a  man  loves  he  wills, 
and  what  he  wills  he  does,  consequently,  that  to  love  is  to  do  : 
he  also  perceives  this,  that  whatever  a  man  believes  from  love, 
he  likewise  wills  and  does,  consequently,  that  to  have  faith  is 
also  to  do  ;  and  likewise,  that  an  impious  man  cannot  have  the 
love  of  God,  or  therefore  the  faith  of  God.  A  rational  man  also, 
from  interior  illumination,  immediately  perceives  the  following 
truths,  wThen  he  hears  them :  viz.  That  God  is  one ;  that  he  is 
omnipresent ;  that  every  good  is  from  him  :  also,  that  all  things 
have  relation  to  good  and  truth ;  and  that  every  thing  good  is 
from  Good  itself,  and  every  thing  true  from  Truth  itself.  These, 
and  other  similar  truths,  a  man  perceives  interiorly  in  himself 
when  he  hears  them :  the  reason  of  which  is,  that  he  has  ra¬ 
tionality,  and  this  is  in  the  light  of  heaven,  which  illuminates. 
Exterior  illumination  is  that  of  the  thought  derived  from  interior 
illumination,  and  the  thought  is  in  this  illumination  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  it  remains  in  the  perception  which  it  has  from  interior 


102 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


16S — 17G 


illumination,  and  at  the  same  time  possesses  knowledges  of  things 
true  and  good,  for  from  these  it  supplies  itself  with  reasons  for 
confirmation.  The  thought,  by  virtue  of  this  exterior  illumi¬ 
nation,  sees  a  thing  on  both  sides, — on  one  side  seeing  the 
reasons  which  confirm  it,  and  on  the  other  the  appearances  which 
invalidate  it :  the  latter  it  dispels,  and  the  former  it  collects. 
But  interior  illumination  from  man  is  totally  different :  a  man, 
by  virtue  of  this  illumination,  sees  a  thing  on  one  side,  and 
not  on  the  other  ;  and  when  he  has  confirmed  it,  he  sees  it  in  a 
light  similar  in  appearance  to  the  light  treated  of  above,  but 
it  is  the  light  of  winter.  For  example :  a  judge,  who,  in  con¬ 
sequence  of  bribes  and  for  the  sake  of  interest,  judges  unjustly, 
after  he  has  confirmed  his  judgment  by  the  laws  and  by  reasons, 
does  not  see  any  thing  but  justice  in  his  judgment.  Some  see 
injustice ;  but,  because  they  do  not  desire  to  see  it,  darken  and 
blind  themselves,  and  so  do  not  see  it.  It  is  the  same  with  a 
judge  who  passes  judgment  under  the  influence  of  friendship, 
from  the  desire  of  conciliating  favour,  and  from  the  influence  of 
connections.  With  persons  of  such  a  character,  the  same  thing 
happens  in  respect  to  whatever  they  receive  from  the  mouth  of 
a  man  of  authority,  or  from  a  man  of  reputation  or  fame,  or  in 
respect  to  whatever  they  have  hatched  out  of  their  own  self- 
derived  intelligence.  Thev  are  blind  reasoners  ;  for  their  sight 
is  grounded  in  false  principles,  which  they  confirm  ;  and  falsity 
closes  up  the  sight,  and  truth  opens  it.  Such  persons  do  not 
see  any  thing  true  from  the  light  of  truth,  nor  any  thing  just 
from  the  love  of  justice,  but  from  the  light  of  confirmation, 
which  is  infatuating  light.  They  appear,  in  the  spiritual  world, 
like  faces  without  a  head,  or  like  faces  similar  to  human  faces, 
behind  which  there  are  heads  of  wood  ;  and  they  are  called 
rational  beasts,  because  they  have  rationality  in  their  power. 
Exterior  illumination  from  man ,  however,  has  place  with  those 
who  think  and  speak  from  science  alone  impressed  upon  the 
memory  ;  and  these  of  themselves  are  but  little  able  to  confirm 
any  thing. 

169.  Such  are  the  different  kinds  of  illumination,  and  thence 
of  perception  and  thought.  There  is  an  actual  illumination 
from  spiritual  light,  although  the  illumination  itself  from  that 
light  does  not  appear  to  any  one  in  the  natural  world,  because 
natural  light  has  nothing  in  common  with  spiritual  light :  but 
such  illumination  has  sometimes  appeared  to  me  in  the  spiritual 
world,  being  seen  among  those  who  were  in  illumination  from 
the  Lord,  as  something  luminous  about  the  head,  and  ruddy, 
similar  to  the  colour  of  the  human  face.  With  those  who  w^ere 
in  illumination  from  themselves,  there  was  such  a  luminous 
appearance,  not  about  the  head,  but  about  the  mouth  and 
above  the  chin. 

1T0.  Besides  these  illuminations  there  is  also  another,  bv 
103 


170—172 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


which  it  is  revealed  to  a  man  in  what  faith,  and  in  what  in¬ 
telligence  and  wisdom  he  is,  which  revelation  is  such  that  he 
himself  perceives  it  in  himself.  He  is  admitted  into  a  society 
where  there  is  genuine  faith,  and  where  there  are  true  intel¬ 
ligence  and  wisdom,  and  there  the  interior  of  his  rationality 
is  opened,  from  which  he  sees  and  even  acknowledges  of  what 
kind  are  his  faith,  and  his  intelligence  and  wisdom.  I  have  seen 
some  returning  thence,  and  have  heard  them  confess  that  they 
had  had  no  faith,  although  in  the  world  they  thought  they  had 
much,  and  in  an  eminent  degree  above  others;  and  in  like 
manner  they  confessed  respecting  their  intelligence  and  wisdom. 
They  were  some  of  those  who  were  principled  in  faith  alone, 
and  in  no  charity,  and  who  were  in  self-derived  intelligence. 

171.  IY.  That  a  man  is  taught  of  the  Lord  by  the  Word , 
and  by  doctrine  and  preachings  from  the  Word ,  and  thus  imme¬ 
diately  from  him  alone.  It  was  said  and  shown  above,  that  a 
man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone,  and  that  from  heaven, 
and  not  by  heaven,  or  by  any  angel  there ;  and  since  he  is  led 
of  the  Lord  alone,  it  follows,  that  he  is  led  immediately,  not 
mediately  ;  but  how  this  is  done,  is  now  to  be  explained. 

172.  In  the  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning 
the  Sacred  Scripture,  it  is  shown,  that  the  Lord  is  the  Word, 
and  that  all  doctrine  of  the  church  is  to  be  drawn  from  the  Word. 
How,  because  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  it  follows,  that  the  man 
who  is  taught  from  the  Word,  is  taught  of  the  Lord  alone.  But 
as  this  is  difficult  to  be  comprehended,  it  may  be  expedient  to 
illustrate  it  in  this  order  :  1.  That  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  because 
the  Word  is  from  him  and  concerning  him.  2.  And  because 
it  is  the  divine  truth  of  the  divine  good.  3.  That  thus  to  be 
taught  from  the  Word,  is  to  be  taught  from  him.  4.  And  that 
this  being  effected  mediately  by  preaching  does  not  take  away 
the  immediate  teaching.  First,  That  the  Lord  is  the  Word , 
because  it  is  from  him  and  concerning  him.  That  the  Word  is 
from  the  Lord,  is  denied  by  no  one  in  the  church  ;  but  that  the 
Word  is  concerning  the  Lord  alone,  this  indeed  is  not  denied,  but 
neither  is  it  known  :  it  is  shown,  however,  in  the  Doctrine  of 
the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord,  n.  1 — 7,  and  n.  37 
— 44 ;  and  in  the  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concern¬ 
ing  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  62 — 69,  n.  80 — 90,  n.  98.  99,  100. 
How  as  the  Word  is  from  the  Lord  alone,  and  concerning  the 
Lord  alone,  it  follows,  that  when  a  man  is  taught  from  the  Word, 
he  is  taught  from  the  Lord,  for  the  Word  is  divine.  Who  can 
communicate  what  is  divine,  and  plant  it  in  the  heart,  but  the 
Divine  Being  himself,  from  whom  it  is,  and  of  whom  it  treats  ? 
Wherefore,  the  Lord,  where  he  speaks  of  his  conjunction  with 
his  disciples,  says,  that  they  should  abide  in  him,  and  his 
words  in  them  (John  xv.  7) ;  that  his  words  are  spirit  and  life 
(John  vi.  63) ;  and  that  he  maketh  his  abode  with  those  who 

104 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


1T2 


keep  liis  words,  xiv.  20 — 2d.  To  think,  therefore,  frt  m  the 
Lord,  is  to  think  from  the  Word,  as  by  the  Word.  That  all 
things  of  the  Word  have  communication  with  heaven,  is  shown 
in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
Sacred  Scripture,  from  beginning  to  end ;  and,  as  the  Lord  is 
heaven,  it  is  meant  that  all  things  of  the  Word  have  communica¬ 
tion  with  the  Lord  himself.  The  angels  of  heaven  have  commu¬ 
nication  indeed,  but  this  also  from  the  Lord.  Secondly,  That 
the  Lord  is  the  Word,  because  it  is  the  dimine  truth  of  the  divine 
good.  That  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  he  teaches  in  John  in  these 
words  :  u  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word  :  and  the  Word  was  made 
Jesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,”  i.  1,  II.  This  passage  has  here¬ 
tofore  been  no  otherwise  understood,  than  as  implying  that 
God  taught  men  by  the  Word,  therefore  it  has  been  explained 
by  supposing  it  an  elevated  expression,  involving  that  the  Lord 
is  not  the  Word  itself ;  the  reason  of  which  is,  that  man  did  not 
know  that  by  the  W ord  is  meant  the  divine  truth  of  the  divine 

t 

good,  or  what  is  the  same,  the  divine  wisdom  of  the  divine 
love.  That  these  are  the  Lord  himself,  is  shown  in  the  treatise 
On  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  part  the  first ; 
and  that  these  are  the  Word,  is  shown  in  The  Doctrine  of 
the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n. 
1 — S 6.  How  the  Lord  is  the  divine  truth  of  the  divine  good, 
may  also  be  briefly  shown  in  this  place.  A  man  is  not  a  man 
from  his  face  and  bodv,  but  from  the  good  of  his  love  and  the 

v  J  O 

truths  of  his  wisdom  ;  and  because  a  man  is  a  man  by  virtue  of 

j  %J 


these  principles,  every  man  is  also  his  own  truth  and  his  own 
good,  oi  his  own  love  and  his  own  wisdom  ;  and  without  these 
he  is  not  a  man.  But  the  Lord  is  goodness  itself  and  truth 
itself,  or,  what  is  the  same,  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself ;  and 
these  are  the  Word,  which  in  the  beginning  was  with  God,  and 
which  was  God,  and  which  was  made  flesh.  Thirdly,  That 
thus  to  be  taught  from  the  Word,  is  to  be  taught  from  the  Lord 
himself,  because  it  is  to  be  taught  from  goodness  itself  and  truth 
itself,  or  from  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  which  are  the  Word, 
as  was  said ;  but  every  one  is  taught  according  to  the  under- 
standing  of  his  love,  and  what  is  over  and  above  does  not  re- 
main.  All  those  who  are  taught  of  the  Lord  in  the  Word,  are 
instructed  in  a  few  truths  in  the  world,  but  in  many  when  they 
become  angels  ;  for  the  interiors  of  the  Word,  which  are  divine 
spiritual  and  divine  celestial  things,  are  implanted  at  the  same 
time,  but  are  not  opened  in  a  man  till  after  his  death,  when 
in  heaven,  where  he  is  in  angelic  wisdom,  which,  compared 
with  human,  and  therefore  with  his  former  wisdom,  is  ineffable. 
That  the  divine  spiritual  and  the  divine  celestial  things  which 
constitute  angelic  wisdom,  are  in  all  and  every  particular  of 
the  Word,  may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  The  Hew 
105 


172 — 174 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  5 — 26. 
Fourthly,  That  this  being  effected  mediately  by  preaching  does 
not  take  away  the  immediate  teaching.  The  Word  cannot  other¬ 
wise  be  taught  than  mediately  by  parents,  masters,  preachers, 
books,  and  especially  by  reading  it ;  but  still  it  is  not  taught 
from  them,  but  by  them  from  the  Lord.  This  is  also  agreeable 
to  what  is  known  to  preachers,  who  say,  that  they  do  not  speak 
from  themselves,  but  from  the  spirit  of  God ;  and  that  every 
thing  true,  as  well  as  every  thing  good,  is  from  God.  They  are 
able  indeed  to  say  this,  and  make  it  enter  into  the  understanding 
of  many,  but  not  into  the  heart  of  any  one  ;  and  that  which  is 
not  in  the  heart,  perishes  in  the  understanding :  by  the  heart 
is  meant  the  man’s  love.  It  may  hence  be  seen,  that  a  man  is 
led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  alone ;  and  immediately  from  him, 
when  from  the  Yford.  This  is  an  arcanum  of  arcana  of  angelic 
wisdom. 

173.  That  by  the  Word  those  also  have  light  who  are  out 
of  the  church,  and  have  not  the  Word,  is  shown  in  The  Doc¬ 
trine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred 
Scripture,  n.  104 — 113  :  and  because  a  man  has  light  through 
the  Word,  and  from  light  lias  understanding,  and  this  is  the 
case  with  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  it  follows,  that  from 
light  in  its  origin  there  is  light  in  its  derivations,  which  are  per¬ 
ceptions  and  thoughts  on  any  subject  wdiatever.  The  Lord  says, 
that  u  without  him  they  can  do  nothing”  (John  xv.  5) ;  that  “a 
man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven” 
(John  iii.  27) ;  and  that  our  u  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  maketh 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on 
the  just  and  on  the  unjust”  (Matt.  v.  45).  By  sun  is  meant 
here,  as  elsewhere  in  the  Word,  in  its  spiritual  sense,  the  divine 
good  of  the  divine  love,  and  by  rain  the  divine  truth  of  the 
divine  wisdom.  These  are  given  to  the  evil  and  to  the  good, 
and  to  the  just  and  to  the  unjust ;  for  if  they  wrere  not,  no  one 
would  have  perception  and  thought.  That  there  is  one  sole  life, 
from  which  all  have  life,  was  shown  above  ;  and  perception  and 
thought  are  of  life  ;  therefore  from  the  same  fountain  from  which 
is  life,  are  also  perception  and  thought.  That  all  light,  which 
makes  the  understanding,  is  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world, 
which  is  the  Lord,  was  abundantly  shown  above. 

174.  Y.  That  a  man  is  led  and  taught  of  the  Lord  in  ex¬ 
ternals  to  all  appearance  as  of  himself.  This  is  done  in  his 
externals,  but  not  in  his  internals  ;  no  one  knows  how  the  Lord 
leads  and  teaches  a  man  in  his  internals,  any  more  than  he 
knows  how  the  soul  operates  in  order  that  the  eye  may  see,  the 
ear  hear,  the  tongue  and  the  mouth  speak,  the  heart  impel  the 
blood,  the  lungs  respire,  the  stomach  digest,  the  liver  and  pan¬ 
creas  distribute,  the  kidneys  secrete,  and  innumerable  othe) 
things.  These  do  not  come  within  a  man’s  perception  and  sen 

106 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE 


174,  175 


feation  •  and  it  is  similar  with,  the  things  which  are  done  of  the 
Lord  in  the  interior  substances  and  forms  of  the  mmd,  which 
things  are  infinitely  more  numerous.  The  operations  of  the 
Lord  therein  do  not  appear  to  a  man ;  but  their  effects,  which 
are  many,  do  appear,  and  also  some  causes  of  the  effects.  These 
are  externals  in  which  the  man  is  together  with  the  Lord ;  and 
because  externals  make  one  with  internals,  for  they  cohere  in 
one  series,  therefore  no  disposition  can  be  made  in  internals  by 
the  Lord,  otherwise  than  according  to  that  which  is  made  in  ex¬ 
ternals  by  means  of  the  man.  Every  one  knows  that  a  man 
thinks,  wills,  speaks,  and  acts  to  all  appearance  as  from  him¬ 
self;  and  any  one  may  see,  that  without  such  appearance  a  man 
would  have  no  will  and  understanding,  consequently  no  affection 
and  thought,  and  also  no  reception  of  any  thing  good  and  true 
from  the  Lord.  This  being  the  case,  it  follows,  that  without 
such  appearance  there  would  be  no  knowledge  of  God,  no  charity 
and  faith,  consequently  no  reformation  and  regeneration,  and 
therefore  no  salvation.  From  which  it  is  evident,  that  this  ap¬ 
pearance  was  given  to  man  by  the  Lord  for  all  those  uses ;  but 
principally  that  he  might  have  a  receptive  and  a  reciprocal  prin¬ 
ciple  by  which  the  Lord  may  be  conjoined  to  him  and  he  to  the 
Lord,  and  that  by  such  conjunction  he  may  live  to  eternity.  It 
is  this  appearance  which  is  here  meant. 


THAT  IT  IS  A  LAW  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  THAT  A  MAN 
SHOULD  NOT  PERCEIVE  AND  FEEL  ANY  THING  OF  THE  OPERA¬ 
TION  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  BUT  YET  SHOULD  KNOW 
AND  ACKNOWLEDGE  IT. 

175.  The  natural  man,  who  does  not  believe  in  the  Divine 
Providence,  thinks  within  himself,  What  is  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  when  I  see  that  the  wicked  are  promoted  to  honours, 
and  acquire  wealth  more  frequently  than  the  good  ;  that  many 
such  like  things  succeed  with  those  who  do  not  believe  in  the 
Divine  Providence  better  than  with  those  who  do ;  and  even 
that  infidels  and  impious  persons  can  occasion  injuries,  losses, 
and  misfortunes,  and  sometimes  death,  to  the  faithful  and  pious, 
and  this  by  craft  and  malice  ?  The  natural  man  also  thinks  to 
himself,  Do  not  I  see  from  experience  itself,  as  in  open  day, 
that  deceitful  machinations,  provided  a  man  by  ingenious  cun¬ 
ning  can  make  them  appear  to  be  faithful  and  just,  prevail  over 
fidelity  and  justice  ?  What  am  I  to  think  then  of  other  cases, 
but  that  they  are  necessities,  consequences,  and  fortuitous  inci¬ 
dents,  in  which  nothing  from  the  Divine  Providence  appears  ? 
Are  not  necessities  to  be  ascribed  to  nature  ?  Are  not  conse¬ 
quences  produced  by  causes  flowing  from  natural  or  civil  order? 


175,  176 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


And  are  not  fortuitous  incidents  either  derived  from  causes 
which  are  not  known  or  from  no  causes  at  all  ?  Such  are  the 
thoughts  of  the  natural  man,  who  attributes  nothing  to  God,  but 
all  tilings  to  nature :  for  he  who  does  not  attribute  any  thing 
to  God  does  not  attribute  any  thing  to  the  Divine  Providence 
either,  for  God  and  the  Divine  Providence  make  one.  But  the 
spiritual  man  says  or  thinks  with  himself  otherwise.  Although, 
in  thought,  he  does  not  perceive,  or  with  his  eyes  see  the  Divine 
Providence  in  its  operations,  he  nevertheless  knows  and  ac¬ 
knowledges  it.  How  since  the  above-mentioned  appearances 
and  consequent  fallacies  have  blinded  the  understanding,  which 
cannot  receive  any  sight  unless  the  fallacies  which  induced 
blindness,  and  the  false  principles  which  induced  darkness,  be 
dispelled ;  and  since  this  cannot  be  done  except  by  truths,  in 
which  there  is  a  power  of  dispelling  false  principles,  therefore 
these  truths  are  to  be  opened ;  but  that  this  may  be  done  dis¬ 
tinctly,  it  may  be  expedient  to  observe  the  following  order.  I. 
That  if  a  man  perceived  and  felt  the  operation  of  the  Divine 
Providence,  he  would  not  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason, 
nor  would  any  thing  appear  to  him  as  from  himself.  It  would 
be  the  same  if  he  foreknew  events.  II.  That  if  a  man  plainly 
saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would  interfere  with  the  ordsr 
and  tenor  of  its  progress,  and  would  pervert  and  destroy  it.  III. 
That  if  a  man  plainly  saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would 
either  deny  God  or  make  himself  a  god.  IY.  That  it  is  granted 
a  man  to  see  the  Divine  Providence  on  the  back,  and  not  in  the 
face ;  also  in  a  spiritual  state,  and  not  in  a  natural  state. 

176.  I.  That  if  a  man  perceived  and  felt  the  operation  of  the 
Divine  Providence ,  he  would  not  act  from  liberty  according  to 
reason ,  nor  would  any  thing  appear  to  him  as  his  own.  It  would 
be  the  same  if  he  foreknew  events.  That  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine 
Providence  that  a  man  should  act  from  liberty  according  to  rea¬ 
son  ;  also,  that  whatever  a  man  wills,  thinks,  speaks,  and  does, 
should  appear  to  him  as  from  himself ;  and  that  without  such 
appearance  no  man  would  have  any  thing  his  own,  or  be  his 
own  man,  therefore  would  have  nothing  proper  to  himself,  and 
thus  no  imputation,  without  which  it  would  be  indifferent  whether 
he  should  do  evil  or  good,  and  whether  he  should  have  the  faith 
of  God  or  a  persuasion  from  hell ;  in  a  word,  that  in  such  a  case 
he  would  not  be  a  man,  was  shown  above  under  several  articles 
to  the  evidence  of  the  understanding.  We  shall  now  proceed 
to  show,  that  if  a  man  perceived  and  felt  the  operation  of  the 
Di  vine  Providence,  he  would  have  no  liberty  of  acting  accord¬ 
ing  to  reason,  and  no  appearance  of  acting  as  from  himself, 
because  if  he  perceived  and  felt  it,  he  would  also  be  led  by  it ; 
for  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  leads  all,  and  a  man  does 
not  lead  himself  except  in  appearance,  as  was  also  shown  above ; 
therefore  if  he  had  a  lively  perception  and  sensation  of  being 
108 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


170 — 1T8 


led,  he  would  not  be  conscious  of  life  and  in  such  case  would 
scarcely  differ  from  a  statue,  when  operated  upon  to  utter  sounds 
and  to  act.  Supposing  him,  however,  still  conscious  of  life, 
yet  he  would  only  be  led  like  one  bound  hand  and  foot,  or  like 
a  horse  before  a  cart.  Who  does  not  see,  that  in  this  case  the 
man  would  have  no  liberty,  and  if  he  had  no  liberty,  he  would 
also  have  no  reason  ;  for  every  one  thinks  from  liberty  and  in 
liberty,  and  whatever  he  does  not  think  from  liberty  and  in  li¬ 
berty,  does  not  appear  to  him  from  himself,  but  from  another. 
Indeed,  if  you  weigh  this  interiorly,  you  will  perceive  that  he 
would  also  have  no  thought,  much  less  reason,  and  consequently 
would  not  be  a  man. 

177.  It  is  the  continual  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence 
of  the  Lord,  to  withdraw  a  man  from  evils  :  supposing  now  any 
one  were  to  perceive  and  feel  this  continual  operation,  and  yet 
were  not  to  be  led  as  one  bound,  would  he  not  continually  re¬ 
sist  it,  and  in  such  case  would  he  not  either  strive  with  God,  or 
mix  self  with  the  Divine  Providence  ?  If  he  did  the  latter,  he 
would  make  himself  also  God ;  if  the  former,  he  would  loose 
himself  from  all  bonds,  and  deny  God.  This  is  very  evident, 
that  there  would  be  two  powers  continually  acting  against  each 
other, — the  power  of  evil  from  the  man,  and  the  power  of  good 
from  the  Lord ;  and  when  two  opposites  act  against  each  other, 
then  either  one  overcomes,  or  both  perish ;  but  in  this  case, 
if  one  overcomes,  both  perish ;  because  the  evil  which  is  of  the 
man  does  not  receive  good  from  the  Lord  in  a  moment,  nor  does 
the  good  from  the  Lord  cast  out  the  evil  from  the  man  in  a  mo¬ 
ment  ;  for  if  either  the  one  or  the  other  were  done  in  a  moment, 
life  would  not  remain  in  the  man.  These  and  many  other  hurt- 
ful  consequences  would  ensue,  if  a  man  were  manifestly  to  per¬ 
ceive  and  feel  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence.  But  this 
will  be  clearly  demonstrated  by  examples  in  what  follows. 

ITS.  The  reason,  also,  why  it  is  not  granted  a  man  to  fore¬ 
know  events,  is,  that  he  may  be  able  to  act  from  liberty  accord¬ 
ing  to  reason;  for  it  is  known,  that  whatever  a  man  loves,  he 
desires  to  effect,  and  leads  himself  to  it  by  reason  ;  also,  that 
there  is  nothing  that  a  man  revolves  in  his  reason  which  is  not 
from  a  desire  that  it  may  come  into  effect  by  thought.  If, 
therefore,  he  knew  the  effect  or  event  from  divine  prediction, 
reason  would  become  quiescent,  and  with  reason,  love ;  for  love 
with  reason  terminates  in  the  effect,  and  from  that  begins  anew. 
It  is  the  very  delight  of  reason,  that  from  love  in  the  thought 
it  may  see  the  effect, — not  in  the  effect,  but  before  it,  or  not  in 
the  present,  but  in  the  future.  Hence  a  man  has  what  is  called 
Hope,  which  in  reasor  increases  and  decreases,  as  it  sees  or 
expects  the  event.  This  delight  is  fulfilled  in  the  event,  but 
afterwards  is  obliterated  with  the  thought  concerning  the  event ; 
and  it  would  be  the  same  with  an  event  foreknown.  A  maids 
109 


178,  179 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


mind  is  continually  in  these  three  principles,  which  are  called 
end,  cause,  and  effect.  If  one  of  these  is  wanting,  the  human 
mind  is  not  in  its  life.  The  affection  of  the  will  is  the  end  from 
which  ;  the  thought  of  the  understanding  is  the  cause  by  which  ; 
and  the  action  of  the  body,  the  speech  of  the  mouth,  or  exter¬ 
nal  sensation  is  the  effect  of  the  end  by  the  thought.  That  the 
human  mind  is  not  in  its  life,  when  it  is  only  in  the  affection  of 
the  will,  and  in  nothing  else,  and  in  like  manner  when  it  is 
onl}T  in  the  effect,  is  evident  to  any  one ;  therefore  the  mind  has 
not  any  life  from  one  of  the  principles  separately,  but  from  the 
three  in  conjunction.  This  life  of  the  mind  would  be  diminished 
and  would  recede  in  an  event  predicted. 

179.  Forasmuch  as  a  foreknowledge  of  the  future  takes 
away  the  essential  human  principle,  which  consists  in  acting 
from  liberty  according  to  reason  ;  therefore  it  is  not  granted  any 
one  to  know  the  future,  but  every  one  is  allowed  to  conclude 
concerning  things  to  come  from  reason ;  and  hence  reason  with 
all  that  appertains  to  it  is  in  his  life.  It  is  on  this  account, 
that  a  man  does  not  know  his  lot  after  death,  or  know  any 
event  before  it  is  upon  him ;  for  if  he  knew,  he  would  no  longer 
think  from  his  interior  self  how  he  should  act  or  live,  in  order 
that  it  might  happen,  but  would  think  only  from  his  exterior 
self,  that  it  would  come  to  pass ;  and  this  latter  state  closes  the 
interiors  of  the  mind,  in  which  the  two  faculties  of  his  life, 
which  are  liberty  and  rationality,  principally  reside.  The  desire 
of  foreknowing  the  future  is  connate  with  most  people,  but  it  de¬ 
rives  its  origin  from  the  love  of  evil ;  it  is  therefore  taken  away 
from  those  who  believe  in  the  Divine  Providence,  and  there  is 
given  them  a  confidence  that  the  Lord  will  appoint  their  lot : 
hence  they  do  not  desire  to  foreknow  it,  lest  by  any  means 

they  should  interfere  with  the  Divine  Providence.  This  the 
»/ 

Lord  teaches  by  many  passages  in  Luke,  chap.  xii.  14 — IS.  That 
this  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  may  be  confirmed  by  many 
circumstances  from  the  spiritual  world.  Most  people,  when 
they  come  into  that  world  after  death,  desire  to  know  their  lot; 
but  they  are  answered  that  their  lot  is  in  heaven  if  they  have 
lived  well,  and  in  hell  if  they  have  lived  ill.  But  as  all,  even 
the  wicked,  are  afraid  of  hell,  they  ask  what  they  are  to  do  and 
to  believe,  that  they  may  go  to  heaven.  It  is  answered,  that 
they  may  do  and  believe  as  they  will,  but  they  should  know, 
that  in  hell  they  neither  do  what  is  good  nor  think  what  is  true, 
but  only  in  heaven ;  and  they  are  told  to  inquire  what  is  good 
and  what  is  true,  and  to  think  the  one  and  do  the  other,  if  they 
are  able.  Thus  it  is  left  to  every  one,  in  the  spiritual  world  as 
well  as  in  the  natural  world,  to  act  from  liberty  according  to 
reason  ;  but  as  they  have  acted  in  this  world,  so  they  act  in  that ; 
for  the  life  of  every  one  continues  with  him,  and  thence  is  his 
lot,  because  the  lot  is  of  the  life. 

110 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


ISO 


iso. 


11.  That  if  a  man  plainly  saw  the  Divine  Providence , 
he  would  interfere  with  the  order  and  tenor  of  its  progress,  and 
would  pervert  and  destroy  it.  That  this  may  enter  distinctly 
into  the  perception  of  the  rational  and  also  of  the  natural  man, 
it  may  he  expedient  to  illustrate  it  by  examples  in  this  order. 
1.  That  externals  have  such  a  connection  with  internals,  that  in 
every  operation  they  make  one.  2.  That  a  man  is  only  in  some 
externals  with  the  Lord,  and  if  he  were  at  the  same  time  in  in¬ 
ternals,  he  would  pervert  and  destroy  all  the  order  and  tenor  of 
the  progress  of  the  Divine  Providence.  But,  as  was  said,  these 
propositions  shall  be  illustrated  by  examples.  First:  That  ex¬ 
ternal  things  have  such  a  connection  with  interned  things ,  that  in 
every  operation  they  make  one.  The  illustration  in  this  case  shall 
be  taken  from  some  particulars  in  the  human  body.  In  the 
whole  and  in  every  part  of  the  human  body  there  are  externals 

«/  -L  *j 

and  internals :  the  externals  are  called  skins,  membranes,  and 
covering’s :  the  internals  are  forms  of  nervous  fibres  and  blood- 
vessels,  variously  composed  and  united.  The  covering  which 
infolds  them,  by  fibres  sent  out  from  itself,  enters  into  all  the 
interiors  even  to  the  inmost  parts ;  and  thus  the  external,  which 
is  the  covering’,  connects  itself  with  all  the  internals,  which  are 
organic  forms  consisting  of  fibres  and  vessels.  From  this  it 
follows,  that  as  the  external  acts  or  is  acted  upon,  the  internals 
also  act  or  are  acted  upon;  for  there  is  a  perpetual  infolding 
together,  or  union  of  the  whole.  Only  take  some  common  cor- 
ering  in  the  body,  as  for  example  the  Pleura,  which  is  the 
common  covering  of  the  breast,  or  of  the  heart  and  lungs,  aid 
examine  it  with  an  anatomical  eye,  or,  if  you  have  not  made 
this  vour  study,  consult  anatomists,  and  you  will  learn  that 
this  common  covering,  by  various  circumvolutions,  and  after¬ 
wards  by  derivations  from  itself,  finer  and  finer,  enters  into  the 
most  interior  parts  of  the  lungs,  even  to  the  smallest  bronchial 
ramifications,  and  into  the  follicles  themselves,  which  are  the 
beginnings  of  the  lungs, — not  to  mention  its  progress  afterwards 
bv  the  trachea  into  the  larynx  towards  the  tongue  ;  from  which 


it  is  evident,  that  there  is  a  perpetual  connection  of  the  outmost 
with  the  inmost,  and  therefore  as  the  outmost  acts  or  is  acted 
upon,  so  also  the  interiors  from  the  inmost  act  or  are  acted  upon. 
Tli is  is  the  reason,  that  when  that  outmost  covering,  which  is 
the  pleura,  has  either  a  defluxion  or  inflammation,  or  is  full  of 
ulcers,  the  lungs  labour  from  their  inmost  parts  ;  and  if  the  dis¬ 
ease  increases,  all  action  of  the  lungs  ceases,  and  the  man  dies. 
It  is  the  same  with  every  other  part  of  the  body,  as  with  the 
Peritoxjeuw,  the  common  covering  of  all  the  abdominal  viscera, 
and  also  with  the  coverings  about  each ;  as  with  the  stomach, 
the  liver,  the  pancreas,  the  spleen,  the  intestines,  the  mesentery, 
the  kidneys,  and  the  organs  of  generation  in  both  sexes.  Take 
any  of  these  parts,  and  either  examine  it  yourself  and  you 


180 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


will  see,  or  consult  those  who  are  skilled  in  the  science,  and  you 
will  hear.  For  example,  take  the  liver,  and  you  will  find  that 
there  is  a  connection  of  the  peritonaeum  with  the  covering  of 
that  viscus,  and  by  that  covering  with  its  inmost  substance ; 
for  there'  are  thence  perpetual  branchings  forth,  and  insertions 
towards  the  interiors,  and  thus  continuations  to  the  inmost 
parts,  and  thence  a  folding  together  of  the  whole,  which  is  such, 
that  when  the  covering  acts  or  is  acted  upon,  the  whole  form 
in  like  manner  acts  or  is  acted  upon.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
rest.  The  reason  is,  that  in  every  form,  what  is  common  and 
what  is  particular,  or  what  is  universal  and  wdiat  is  singular, 
by  a  wonderful  conjunction  act  as  one.  That  in  spiritual 
forms,  and  in  the  changes  and  variations  of  their  state,  which 
have  relation  to  the  operations  of  the  will  and  understanding, 
the  case  is  the  same  as  in  natural  forms  and  their  operations, 
which  have  relation  to  motion  and  action,  will  be  seen  below. 
How  as  a  man,  in  some  external  operations,  is  together  with 
the  Lord,  and  the  liberty  of  acting  according  to  reason  is  not 
taken  away  from  any  one,  it  follows,  that  the  Lord  cannot  in 
internals  act  otherwise  than  as  together  with  the  man  in  exter¬ 
nals  ;  therefore  if  a  man  does  not  shun  and  avoid  evils  as  sins, 
the  external  of  the  thought  and  will  must  be  vitiated  and  diseased, 
and  at  the  same  time  their  internal,  comparatively  as  the  pleura 
from  its  disease  which  is  called  pleurisy,  in  consequence  of  which 
the  body  dies.  Secondly,  That  if  a  man  were  at  the  same  time 
in  internals ,  he  would  pervert  and  destroy  all  the  order  and  tenor 
of  the  Divine  Providence .  This  also  may  be  illustrated  by  exam¬ 
ples  from  the  human  body  :  if  a  man  knew  all  the  operations  of 
both  the  brains  upon  the  fibres,  of  the  fibres  upon  the  muscles, 
and  of  the  muscles  upon  actions,  and  from  a  knowledge  thereof 
were  to  dispose  all  things  as  he  disposes  his  actions,  would  he 
not  pervert  and  destroy  all  ?  If  a  man  knew  how  the  stomach 
digests,  the  viscera  about  it  perform  their  task,  elaborating  the 
blood,  and  distributing  it  for  all  the  business  of  life,  and  had 
the  disposition  of  the  same  as  he  has  in  externals, — in  the  case, 
for  example,  of  eating  and  drinking, — would  he  not  pervert  and 
destroy  all  ?  When  he  cannot  dispose  the  external,  which 
appears  as  one,  but  destroys  it  by  luxury  and  intemperance, 
what  would  be  the  case  if  he  were  also  to  dispose  internals, 
which  are  infinite?  Lest  a  man,  therefore,  by  any  will  of  his 
should  enter  into  them,  and  make  them  subject  to  himself,  the 
internals  are  entirely  exempted  from  his  will,  except  the  muscles, 
which  constitute  the  covering ;  and  moreover  it  is  not  known 
how  these  act :  it  is  only  known  that  they  do  act.  The  same 
may  be  said  in  respect  to  the  other  parts  of  the  body ;  as  if  a 
man  were  to  dispose  the  interiors  of  his  eye  to  see,  the  interiors 
of  his  ear  to  hear,  the  interiors  of  his  tongue  to  taste,  the  inte¬ 
riors  of  his  skin  to  feel,  the  interiors  of  his  heart  to  contract, 
112 


THE  DTV7NE  PROVIDENCE. 


180—182 


the  interiors  of  the  lungs  to  respire,  the  interiors  of  the  mesen¬ 
tery  to  distribute  the  chyle,  the  interiors  of  the  kidneys  to 
secrete,  the  interiors  of  the  organs  of  generation  to  propagate, 
the  interiors  of  the  womb  to  perfect  the  embryo,  and  so  on, 
would  he  not  by  infinite  means  pervert  and  destroy  in  these  the 
order  of  progression  of  the  Divine  Providence  ?  That  a  man 
is  in  externals  is  well  known  ;  as  that  he  sees  with  the  eye,  hears 
with  the  ear,  tastes  with  the  tongue,  feels  with  the  skin,  respires 
with  the  lungs,  contributes  to  propagation,  &c.  Is  it  not  enough 
that  he  is  acquainted  with  externals,  and  may  dispose  them  for 
the  health  of  the  body  and  mind  ?  When  he  cannot  do  this, 
what  would  he  do  if  he  were  also  to  dispose  internals  ?  Hence 
then  it  may  appear,  that  if  a  man  manifestly  saw  the  Divine 
Providence,  he  would  interfere  with  the  order  and  tenor  of  its 
progress,  and  pervert  and  destroy  it. 

181.  The  reason  why  it  is  the  same  in  the  spiritual  things  of 
the  mind  as  in  the  natural  things  of  the  body,  is  because  all 
things  of  the  mind  correspond  to  all  things  of  the  body ;  there¬ 
fore  also  the  mind  actuates  the  body  in  externals,  and  in  things 
general,  at  its  pleasure.  It  actuates  the  eye  to  see,  the  ears  to 
hear,  the  mouth  and  the  tongue  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  also 
to  speak,  the  hands  to  act,  the  feet  to  walk,  and  the  organs  of 
generation  to  propagate.  The  mind  not  only  actuates  the  exter¬ 
nals  to  do  these  things,  but  also  the  internals  in  all  their  series, 
the  ultimate  or  outmost  from  the  inmost,  and  the  inmost  from 
the  ultimate :  thus,  while  it  actuates  the  mouth  to  speak,  it  ac¬ 
tuates  the  lungs,  the  larynx,  the  glottis,  the  tongue,  the  lips, 
and  each  distinctly  to  its  function  at  once,  and  also  the  face 
conformably.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  the  same  which  was 
said  of  the  natural  forms  of  the  body  may  be  said  of  the  spiritual 
forms  of  the  mind,  and  what  was  said  of  the  natural  operations 
of  the  body  may  be  said  of  the  spiritual  operations  of  the  mind  ; 
therefore  as  a  man  disposes  externals,  the  Lord  disposes  inter¬ 
nals, — consequently,  in  one  way  if  the  man  of  himself  disposes 
externals,  and  in  a  different  way  if  he  disposes  them  of  the  Lord, 
and  at  the  same  time  as  if  of  himself.  A  man’s  mind  is  also  in 
every  particular  of  its  form  a  man,  for  it  is  his  spirit,  which  after 
death  appears  a  man  altogether  as  in  the  world ;  and  conse¬ 
quently  there  are  similar  things  in  both.  Thus,  what  was  said 
of  the  conjunction  of  externals  with  internals  in  the  body,  is  also 
to  be  understood  of  the  conjunction  of  externals  with  internals 
in  the  mind  ;  with  this  difference  only,  that  the  one  is  natural 
and  the  other  spiritual. 

182.  III.  That  if  a  man  manifestly  scnv  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  he  would  either  deny  God  or  make  himself  a  god.  The 
merely  natural  man  says  within  himself,  What  is  the  Divine 
Providence?  Is  it  anything  else  oi  anything  more  than  a 
«r«rd  amorg  the  vulgar  received  from  the  priest?  Who  sees 

113 


182,  183 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


any  tiling  of  it?  Is  it  not  prudence,  wisdom,  cunning,  and 
malice,  from  which  all  things  are  effected  in  the  world?  As  to 
other  things  derived  thence,  are  they  not  necessities  and  conse¬ 
quences,  and  also,  in  many  cases,  contingencies  ?  Does  the 
Divine  Providence  lie  concealed  in  these  things  ?  IIow  can  it 
he  in  craft  and  cunning  ?  And  yet  it  is  said  that  the  Divine 
Providence  operates  in  all  things.  Cause  me  therefore  to  see 
this,  and  I  will  believe  it.  Can  any  one  believe  it  until  he  sees 
it  ?  Thus  speaks  the  merely  natural  man,  but  not  so  the  spir¬ 
itual  man.  The  latter,  because  he  acknowledges  God,  acknowl¬ 
edges  also  the  Divine  Providence,  and  likewise  sees  it :  but  he 
cannot  manifest  it  to  any  one  wTio  thinks  only  in  nature  from 
nature ;  for  such  a  one  cannot  elevate  his  mind  above  nature, 
and  see  in  the  appearances  of  it  any  thing  of  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  or  conclude  any  thing  concerning  it  from  the  laws  of 
nature,  which  are  also  laws  of  the  Divine  Wisdom  :  therefore  it 
he  manifestly  saw  it,  he  would  infuse  it  into  nature,  and  thus 
not  only  veil  it  over  with  fallacies,  but  also  profane  it ;  instead 
of  acknowledging  it,  he  would  deny  it ;  and  he  who  in  his  heaH 
denies  the  Divine  Providence  also  denies  God.  It  must  be 
thought  either  that  God  governs  all  things,  or  that  nature  does : 
he  who  thinks  that  God  governs  all  things,  thinks  that  they  aie 
governed  by  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  therefore  by  life  it¬ 
self;  but  he  who  thinks  that  nature  governs  all  things,  thinks 
that  they  are  governed  by  natural  heat  and  natural  light,  which 
nevertheless  are  in  themselves  dead,  because  they  are  from  a 
dead  sun.  Does  not  that  which  is  really  living  govern  what  is 
dead,  or  can  that  which  is  dead  govern  any  thing  ?  If  ycu 
think  that  what  is  dead  can  give  life  to  itself,  you  are  insane; ; 
for  life  must  be  from  life. 

183.  That  if  a  man  manifestly  saw  the  Divine  Providence 
and  its  operation,  he  would  deny  God,  appears  not  probable, 
because  it  seems  that  if  any  one  saw  it  manifestly,  he  could  not 
but  acknowledge  it,  and  consequently,  acknowledge  God ;  but 
yet  it  is  altogether  otherwise.  The  Divine  Providence  never  acts 
in  unity  with  the  love  of  a  man’s  will,  but  continually  against 
it ;  for  a  man  from  his  hereditary  evil  always  pants  towards  the 
lowrest  hell,  vTiereas  the  Lord  by  his  Prodclence  continually 
withholds  him,  and  draws  him  out  thence,  first  to  a  milder  hell, 
then  from  hell,  and,  lastly,  to  himself  in  heaven.  This  operation 
of  the  Divine  Providence  is  perpetual ;  and  therefore  if  a  man 
manifestly  saw7  this  retraction  and  abduction,  he  would  be  angry, 
accounting  God  as  his  enemy,  and  from  the  evil  of  his  propnum 
wmuld  deny  him.  Lest,  therefore,  a  man  should  know  this,  he 
is  kept  in  liberty,  whereby  he  knows  no  other  than  that  he  leads 
himself.  But  examples  may  serve  for  illustration  :  a  man,  by 
hereditary  disposition,  desires  to  become  great,  and  also  to  be¬ 
come  rich,  and  in  proportion  as  these  loves  are  unrestrained,  he 
Ilk 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


133,  181 


desires  to  be  greater  and  richer,  and  at  length  the  greatest  and 
richest  of  all :  nor  thus  would  he  be  quiet,  but  would  desire  to 
become  greater  than  God  himself,  and  to  possess  the  very 
heaven.  This  cupidity  lies  deeply  concealed  in  hereditary  evil, 
and  thence  in  a  man’s  life,  and  in  his  life’s  nature.  The  Divine 
Providence  does  not  take  away  this  evil  in  a  moment ;  for  if 
it  were  taken  away  in  a  moment,  the  man  would  die ;  but  it  is 
taken  away  tacitly  and  successively,  without  the  man’s  knowing 
any  thing  of  it.  This  is  effected  by  his  being  permitted  to  act 
according  to  thought,  which  he  makes  the  thought  of  his  reason, 
and  then  being  withdrawn  bv  various  means,  as  well  rational  as 
civil  and  moral :  thus,  so  far  as  he  can  be  withdrawn  in  liberty, 
he  is  withdrawn.  jSTor  can  evil  be  taken  away  from  any  one, 
unless  it  appear,  be  seen,  and  acknowledged ;  like  a  wound 
which  is  not  healed  except  it  be  opened.  If,  therefore,  a  man 
knew  and  saw  that  the  Lord,  by  his  Divine  Providence,  thus 
operates  against  his  life’s  love,  from  which  he  has  his  chief 
delight,  he  could  not  but  run  counter  to  it,  be  exasperated, 
contend  against,  speak  harsh  things,  and  at  length  from  his  own 
evil  remove  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence,  by  denying 
it,  and  thus  denying  God ;  especially  if  he  saw  his  success  op¬ 
posed,  himself  cast  down  from  dignity,  and  deprived  of  opulence. 
It  is  however  to  be  observed,  that  the  Lord  never  withholds  a 
man  from  seeking  after  honours  and  acquiring  wealth,  but  from 
the  cupidity  of  seeking  after  honours  for  the  sake  of  eminence 
only,  or  for  the  sake  of  self ;  in  like  manner,  from  acquiring 
wealth  for  the  sake  of  opulence  only,  or  for  the  sake  of  the 
wealth ;  but  when  he  withdraws  a  man  from  these,  he  intro¬ 
duces  him  into  the  love  of  uses,  that  he  may  respect  eminence, 
not  for  the  sake  of  self,  but  for  the  sake  of  uses,  therefore, 
that  it  may  be  of  uses  and  thence  of  himself,  and  not  first  of 
himself  and  thence  of  uses  :  the  same  is  true  in  regard  to 
opulence.  That  the  Lord  continually  humbles  the  proud,  and 
exalts  the  humble,  he  himself  teaches  in  many  places  of  the 
IV ord ;  and  what  he  there  teaches,  that  also  is  of  his  Divine 
Providence. 

18L  The  case  is  the  same  with  other  evils  in  which  a  man 
is  principled  from  hereditary  disposition ;  as  with  adulteries, 
frauds,  revenges,  blasphemies,  and  other  such  like ;  all  which 
can  be  removed  no  otherwise  than  by  the  liberty  of  thinking 
and  willing  them  being  left,  that  so  the  man  may  remove  them 
as  from  himself,  which  nevertheless  he  cannot  do  unless  he  ac¬ 
knowledges  the  Divine  Providence,  and  implores  that  it  may  be 
effected  by  it.  Without  this  liberty,  and  the  Divine  Providence 
at  the  same  time,  those  evils  would  be  like  poison  shut  in,  and 
not  voided,  which  would  shortly  spread  and  occasion  the  death 
of  all  parts  :  and  they  would  be  like  a  disease  of  the  heart  itself^ 
from  which  the  whole  body  in  a  short  time  dies. 


115 


i 


1 85 — 187 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


185.  That  this  is  true,  cannot  better  be  known  than  from 
the  case  of  men  after  death  in  the  spiritual  world,  where  the 
greatest  part  of  those  who  in  the  natural  world  became  great 
and  rich,  and  in  honours  as  well  as  in  riches  respected  themselves 
alone,  at  first  speak  of  God  and  of  the  Divine  Providence,  as  if 
they  acknowledged  them  in  their  hearts ;  but  as  they  then  mani¬ 
festly  see  the  Divine  Providence,  and  from  it  their  final  portion, 
which  is  to  be  in  hell,  they  connect  themselves  with  devils 
there,  and  then  not  only  deny  God,  but  also  blaspheme ;  com¬ 
ing  at  length  into  such  a  delirium,  that  they  acknowledge  the 
more  powerful  of  the  devils  for  their  gods,  and  desire  nothing 
more  ardently  than  that  they  themselves  also  may  be  deified. 

186.  The  reason  why  a  man  would  run  counter  to  God,  and 
also  deny  him,  if  he  manifestly  saw  the  operations  of  his  Di¬ 
vine  Providence,  is,  because  a  man  is  in  the  delight  of  his  love, 
and  this  delight  constitutes  his  very  life ;  therefore  when  he 
is  kept  in  the  delight  of  his  life,  he  is  in  his  freedom,  for  free¬ 
dom  and  that  delight  make  one.  Did  he  perceive  therefore, 
that  he  is  continually  drawn  away  from  his  delight,  he  would 
be  exasperated  as  against  him  who  wished  to  destroy  his  life, 
and  would  regard  him  as  an  enemy.  In  order  to  prevent  this, 
the  Lord  does  not  manifestly  appear  in  his  Divine  Providence, 
but  tacitly  leads  a  man  by  it,  as  an  imperceptible  tide  or  pros¬ 
perous  current  does  a  ship.  From  this  a  man  knows  no  other 
than  that  he  is  constantly  in  his  own  proprium,  for  with  that 
liberty  makes  one.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  liberty  appropri¬ 
ates  to  a  man  that  which  the  Divine  Providence  introduces, 
which  would  not  be  the  case  if  the  latter  manifested  itself.  To 
be  appropriated  is  to  become  of  the  life. 

187.  IV.  That  it  is  granted  a  man  to  see  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  on  the  hack,  and  not  in  the  face  ;  also  in  a  spiritual  state , 
and  not  in  a  natural  state.  To  see  the  Divine  Providence  on 
the  back  and  not  in  the  face,  is  to  see  it  after  and  not  before ; 
and  to  see  it  from  a  spiritual  state  and  not  from  a  natural  state, 
is  to  see  it  from  heaven  and  not  from  the  world.  All  those  who 
receive  influx  from  heaven,  and  acknowledge  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence — especially  those  who  by  reformation  are  made  spiritual, 
- — when  they  see  events  in  a  certain  wonderful  series,  do,  as  it 
wrere,  from  interior  acknowledgment  see  and  confess  a  Provi¬ 
dence.  These  do  not  desire  to  see  it  in  the  face,  that  is,  before  it 
exists ;  for  they  are  afraid  lest  their  own  will  should  enter  into  any 
thing  of  its  order  and  tenor.  Hot  so  those  who  do  not  admit 
any  influx  from  heaven,  but  only  from  the  world,  especially  those 
who  from  the  confirmation  of  appearances  in  themselves  are 
made  natural :  these  do  not  see  any  thing  of  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  from  behind  or  after  it,  but  they  want  to  see  it  in  the  face, 
or  before  it  exists ;  and  as  the  Divine  Providence  operates  by 
means,  and  means  are  effected  through  man  or  through  the 

116 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


1S8— 190 


world,  therefore,  whether  they  see  it  before  or  after,  they  at¬ 
tribute  it  either  to  man  or  to  nature,  and  thus  confirm  them¬ 
selves  in  the  denial  of  it.  The  reason  why  they  so  attribute 
it.  is,  because  their  understanding  is  closed  above  and  open 
onl  y  below ;  consequently,  shut  towards  heaven  and  open  to¬ 
wards  the  world  ;  and  it  is  not  permitted  to  see  the  Divine 
Providence  from  the  world,  but  from  heaven.  I  have  sometimes 
thought  within  myself  whether  such  persons  would  acknowledge 
the  Divine  Providence,  if  their  understanding  was  opened  above, 
and  they  saw  as  in  clear  day  that  nature  in  itself  is  dead,  and 
that  human  intelligence  in  itself  is  nothing,  but  that  it  is  only 
d’om  influx  that  both  these  appear  to  be ;  and  I  perceived  that 
diose  who  have  confirmed  themselves  in  favour  of  nature  and 
/iiiinan  prudence  would  not  acknowledge  it,  because  the  natural 
ht  flowing  in  from  beneath  would  immediately  extinguish  the 
spiritual  light  flowing  in  from  above. 

"189.  The  man  who  is  made  spiritual  by  the  acknowledg¬ 
ment  of  God,  and  wise  by  the  rejection  of  his  proprium,  sees 
the  Divine  Providence  in  the  universal  world,  and  in  all  and 
every  particular  thereof.  If  he  looks  at  natural  things  he  sees 
it ;  if  he  looks  at  civil  things  he  sees  it ;  if  he  looks  at  spiritual 
things  he  sees  it ;  and  this  as  well  in  the  simultaneous  as  in 
the  successive  order  of  things, — in  ends,  in  causes,  in  effects, 
in  uses,  in  forms,  in  things  great  and  small ;  especially  in  the 
salvation  of  men  ;  as,  that  Jehovah  gave  the  Word,  that  by  it  he 
taught  men  concerning  God,  concerning  heaven  and  hell,  and 
concerning  life  eternal  ;  and  that  he  came  into  the  world  himself, 
that  he  might  redeem  and  save  men.  These,  and  more  things 
of  a  similar  kind,  and  the  Divine  Providence  in  them,  does  a 
man  see  from  spiritual  light  in  natural  light.  But  the  merely 
natural  man  sees  nothing  of  these  things:  he  is  like  one  who 
beholds  a  magnificent  temple,  and  hears  a  preacher  illuminated 
in  divine  things,  and  says,  when  returned  home,  that  he  saw 
nothing  but  a  stone  building,  and  heard  nothing  but  articulate 
sounds  :  or  he  is  like  a  near-sighted  man  who  goes  into  a  garden 
furnished  with  all  kinds  of  fruits,  and  then  comes  home  and 
declares  that  he  saw  only  a  wood  and  trees.  Such  persons  also, 
after  death,  when  they  become  spirits,  if  they  are  taken  up  into 
the  angelic  heaven,  where  all  things  are  in  forms  representative 
of  love  and  wisdom,  see  nothing  of  such  objects,  or  even  of 
their  existence  ;  as  I  have  perceived  with  respect  to  several  who 
denied  the  Divine  Providence. 

190.  There  are  many  constant  or  fixed  things,  which  were 
created  in  order  that  things  inconstant  or  unfixed  might  exist : 
such  are  the  stated  times  of  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun 
and  moon,  and  also  of  the  stars ;  the  darkening  of  them  by 
interpositions,  which  are  called  eclipses  ;  heats  and  lights  from 
them  ;  the  seasons  of  the  year,  which  are  called  spring,  summer, 
117 


190 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


autumn,  and  winter;  and  the  times  of  the  day,  which  are 
morning,  noon,  evening,  and  night;  also  the  atmospheres, 
waters,  and  earths  considered  in  themselves  ;  the  vegetative 
faculty  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  together  with  it  the  pro¬ 
lific  faculty  in  the  animal  kingdom,  and  likewise  the  things 
which  are  constantly  produced  from  these,  when  they  are  put  in 
action  according  to  the  laws  of  order.  These  and  many  other 
things  are  provided  by  creation,  that  things  infinitely  various 
may  exist ;  for  variety  cannot  exist  except  in  things  constant, 
stated,  and  certain.  But  examples  will  illustrate  this.  The 
various  things  of  vegetation  would  not  exist,  if  the  rising  and 
setting  of  the  sun,  and  the  heat  and  light  thence  proceeding, 
were  not  constant.  Harmonies  are  of  infinite  variety:  but  they 
would  not  exist,  if  the  atmospheres  in  their  laws,  and  the  ears 
in  their  form,  were  not  constant.  The  varieties  of  sight,  which 
are  also  infinite,  would  not  exist,  unless  the  ether  in  its  laws, 
and  the  eye  in  its  form,  were  constant ;  nor,  in  like  manner, 
colours,  unless  the  light  were  constant.  It  is  the  same  with 
thoughts,  speech,  and  actions  which  also  are  of  infinite  variety, 
and  which  would  not  exist,  except  the  organic  parts  of  the 
body  were  constant.  Must  not  a  house  be  constant,  that  various 
things  may  be  done  therein?  in  like  manner,  a  temple,  tha\ 
various  particulars  of  divine  worship,  sermons,  instructions,  and 
meditations  of  piety,  may  be  performed  therein?  and  so  in 
other  things.  As  to  what  relates  to  the  varieties  themselves, 
which  are  produced  in  things  constant,  stated,  and  certain,  they 
go  on  ad  infinitum ,  and  have  no  end ;  yet,  in  all  and  singular 
the  things  of  the  universe,  there  never  exists  one  entirely  the 
same  with  another,  or  can  exist  in  the  succession  of  things  to 
eternity.  Who  disposes  these  varieties,  which  go  on  to  infinity 
and  eternity,  that  they  may  be  in  order,  but  He  who  created 
things  constant,  to  tiie  end  that  such  varieties  might  exist 
therein  ?  And  who  can  dispose  the  infinite  varieties  of  life 
among  men,  but  He  who  is  life  itself,  that  is,  love  itself  and 
wisdom  itself?  Without  his  Divine  Providence,  which  is  as  a 
continual  creation,  could  the  infinite  affections  and  the  thoughts 
of  men  thence  derived,  and  thus  the  men  themselves,  be  so 
disposed  as  to  make  one, — evil  affections  and  the  thoughts 
thence  derived,  one  devil  which  is  hell ;  and  good  affections  and 
the  thoughts  thence  derived,  one  Lord  in  heaven?  That  the 
universal  angelic  heaven  is  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  as  one  man, 
who  is  the  image  and  likeness  of  himself,  and  that  the  universal 
hell  is  in  opposition  as  one  man-monster,  has  been  said  and 
shown  occasionally  before.  These  observations  are  made,  be¬ 
cause  some  natural  men,  even  from  things  constant  and  stated, 
which  are  necessary  to  the  end  that  various  things  may  exist  in 
them,  catch  at  arguments  in  their  delirium  in  favour  of  nature 
and  self-derived  prudence. 

11.8 


191,  192 


'  'THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 

THAT  SELF-DERIVED  PRUDENCE  IS  NOTHING,  AND  ONLY  AP¬ 
PEARS  AS  IF  IT  WAS,  AND  ALSO  OUGHT  SO  TO  APPEAR; 

BUT  THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  FROM  THINGS  THE 

MOST  SINGULAR  IS  UNIVERSAL. 

191.  That  self-derivecl  prudence  is  nothing,  is  altogether 
contrary  to  appearance,  and  therefore  contrary  to  the  belief  of 
many;  and  because  it  is  so,  no  one  who  from  appearance  is  in 
the  belief  that  human  prudence  does  every  thing,  can  be  con¬ 
vinced  but  by  reasons  of  deeper  investigation,  which  are  to  be 
taken  from  causes.  Such  appearance  is  an  effect,  and  its  causes 
discover  whence  it  is.  In  this  preliminary  part  something  shall 
be  said  of  the  common  opinion  concerning  this  matter.  Con 
trary  to  appearance  is  this  tenet  which  the  church  teaches, — 
that  love  and  faith  aie  not  from  man  but  from  God,  as  also 
wisdom  and  intelligence,  consequently  prudence  likewise,  and 
everv  thins:  good  and  true  in  general.  When  these  tenets  are 
received,  it  must  also  be  admitted,  that  self-derived  prudence  is 
nothing,  but  only  appears  as  if  it  was.  Prudence  is  from  no 
other  source  than  intelligence  and  wisdom,  and  these  two  are 
from  no  other  source  than  the  understanding  and  thought  thence 
derived  of  what  is  good  and  true.  This  is  received  and  believed 
by  those  who  acknowledge  the  Divine  Providence,  and  not  by 
those  who  acknowledge  human  prudence  alone.  Now  either 
what  the  church  teaches  must  be  true,  that  all  wisdom  and  pru¬ 
dence  is  from  God,  or  what  the  world  teaches,  that  all  wisdom 
and  prudence  is  from  man.  Can  thev  be  reconciled  in  any  other 
way  than  by  saying  that  what  the  church  teaches  is  true,  and 
what  the  world  teaches  is  an  appearance?  For  the  church  con¬ 
firms  what  it  teaches  from  the  Word,  and  the  world  what  it 
teaches  from  its  jjrojjrium  •  but  the  Word  is  from  God,  and 
'propvium  is  from  man.  Since  prudence  is  from  God,  and  not 
from  man,  therefore  a  Christian  man,  wffen  he  is  in  devotion, 
prays  that  God  would  lead  his  thoughts,  intentions,  and  actions, 
adding  also,  because  from  himself  he  cannot :  such  a  one  also, 
when  he  sees  any  one  doing  good,  says  that  he  was  inclined  to 
it  by  God,  and  other  similar  things.  Can  any  one  so  speak,  un¬ 
less  he  then  interiorly  believes  it  ?  and  to  believe  it  interiorly 
is  from  heaven  ;  but  when  he  thinks  within  himself,  and  col¬ 
lects  arguments  in  favour  of  human  prudence,  he  can  believe  the 
contrary,  and  this  is  from  the  world.  Internal  belief,  however, 
prevails  with  those  who  acknowledge  God  in  their  hearts,  and 
external  belief  with  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  God  in  their 
hearts,  however  thev  may  do  it  with  their  mouths. 

192.  It  was  said,  that  no  one,  who  from  appearance  is  in 
the  belief  that  human  prudence  does  every  thing,  can  be  con¬ 
vinced  except  by  reasons  of  deeper  investigation,  which  are  to 

119 


192,  193 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


be  deduced  from  causes ;  therefore,  that  reasons  deduced  from 
causes  may  be  evident  to  the  understanding,  it  is  expedient  to 
present  them  in  their  order,  which  will  be  as  follows.  I.  That 
all  a  man’s  thoughts  are  from  the  affections  of  his  life’s  love, 
and  that  there  do  not  and  cannot  exist  any  thoughts  at  all  with¬ 
out  those  affections.  II.  That  the  affections  of  a  man’s  life’s 
love  are  known  to  the  Lord  only.  III.  That  the  affections  of  a 
man’s  life’s  love  are  led  of  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence, 
and  at  the  same  time  his  thoughts,  from  which  human  prudence 
is  derived.  IV.  That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  con¬ 
nects  together  the  affections  of  the  whole  human  race  into  one 
form,  which  is  human.  V.  That  thence  heaven  and  hell,  which 
are  from  the  human  race,  are  in  such  a  form.  VI.  That  those 
who  have  acknowledged  nature  alone  and  human  prudence  alone, 
constitute  hell ;  and  those  who  have  acknowledged  God,  and  his 
Divine  Providence,  constitute  heaven.  VII.  That  all  these 
things  cannot  be  effected,  unless  it  appears  to  a  man  that  he 
thinks  and  disposes  things  from  himself. 

193.  I.  That  all  a  man's  thoughts  are  from  the  affections  of 
his  life's  love ,  and  that  there  do  not  and  cannot  exist  any  thoughts 
at  all  without  those  affections.  What  the  life’s  love  is,  what  the 
affections  and  thoughts  thence  derived,  and  from  these  the 
sensations  and  actions  which  exist  in  the  body,  are  in  their 
essence,  was  shown  above  in  this  treatise,  and  also  in  that  which 
is  called  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Love  and 
the  Divine  Wisdom,  particularly  in  Part  I.  and  Part  V.  How 
since  from  these  things  are  the  causes  from  which  human  pru¬ 
dence  flows  as  an  effect,  it  is  necessary  that  some  of  them 
should  be  adduced  here  also ;  for  the  things  which  are  written 
in  another  place  cannot  be  connected  so  continuously  with  the 
things  which  are  written  after  them,  as  if  the  same  are  recalled 
and  placed  in  view.  Above,  in  this  treatise,  and  in  that  before 
mentioned  concerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Wisdom,  it  is  demonstrated,  that  in  the  Lord  there  are  divine 
love  and  divine  wisdom ;  that  these  two  are  life  itself ;  that  from 
these  two  a  man  lias  will  and  understanding, — from  the  divine 
love  will,  and  from  the  divine  wisdom  understanding ;  that  to 
these  two  principles  the  heart  and  lungs  in  the  body  correspond  ; 
and  thence  it  may  appear,  that  as  the  pulsation  of  the  heart, 
together  with  the  respiration  of  the  lungs,  governs  the  whole 
man  as  to  his  body,  so  the  will,  together  with  the  understand¬ 
ing,  governs  the  whole  man  as  to  his  mind ;  that  thus  there 
are  two  principles  of  life  in  every  man,  one  natural  and  the 
other  spiritual,  and  that  the  natural  principle  of  life  is  the  pulsa¬ 
tion  of  the  heart,  and  the  spiritual  principle  of  life  the  will  of 
the  mind ;  and  that  each  adjoins  to  itself  a  consort,  with 
which  it  cohabits,  and  with  which  it  performs  the  functions  oi 
life,  the  heart  conjoining  to  itself  the  lungs,  and  the  will  con- 
120 


THE  DIVINE  PRO Y IDENCE . 


193—195 


joining  to  itself  tlie  understanding.  How,  since  the  soul  of  the 
will  is  love,  and  the  soul  of  the  understanding  is  wisdom,  both 
from  the  Lord,  it  follows,  that  love  is  the  life  of  every  one,  and 
that  according  to  the  nature  of  its  conjunction  with  wisdom, 
such  is  the  life :  or,  what  is  the  same,  that  the  will  is  the  life  of 
every  one,  and  that  according  to  the  nature  of  its  conjunction 
with  the  understanding  such  is  the  life.  But  on  this  subject 
see  more  in  a  preceding  part  of  this  treatise,  and  especially  in 
The  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Love  and  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  in  Part  I.  and  Part  V. 

191.  In  these  two  treatises  it  is  also  demonstrated,  that  the 
life’s  love  produces  from  itself  subordinate  loves,  which  are 
called  affections,  and  which  are  exterior  and  interior ;  and  that 
these  taken  together  make  as  it  were  one  dominion  or  kingdom, 
in  which  the  life’s  love  is  lord  or  king.  It  is  also  demonstrated, 
that  those  subordinate  loves  or  affections  adjoin  to  themselves 
consorts,  each  its  own, — the  consorts  of  the  interior  affections 
being  called  perceptions,  and  those  of  the  exterior  affections 
being  called  thoughts ;  that  each  cohabits  with  its  own  consort, 
and  discharges  the  functions  of  its  life ;  and  that  there  is  a  con¬ 
junction  of  both,  like  that  of  the  essence  of  life  with  the  existence 
of  life,  which  is  such,  that  one  is  not  any  thing  but  in  conjunction 
with  the  other :  for  what  is  the  essence  of  life  unless  it  exists, 
and  what  is  the  existence  of  life  but  from  its  essence  ?  also,  that 
the  conjunction  of  life  is  like  that  of  sound  and  harmony,  or  of 
sound  and  speech,  and  in  general  like  that  of  the  pulsation  of  the 
heart  and  the  respiration  of  the  lungs ;  which  conjunction  is 
such  that  one  without  the  other  is  not  any  thing,  but  that  one 
by  conjunction  with  the  other  becomes  something.  Conjunctions 
must  either  be  in  them,  or  are  produced  by  them.  Take  sound 
for  example  :  he  is  mistaken  who  thinks  that  sound  is  any  thing, 
unless  there  be  something  in  it  which  distinguishes.  Sound 
also  corresponds  to  affection  in  a  man;  and  as  there  is  in  it 
always  something  which  distinguishes,  therefore  from  the  sound 
or  tone  of  a  man’s  voice  in  speaking,  is  known  the  affection  of 
his  love,  and  from  its  variation,  which  is  speech,  is  known  his 
thought.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  wiser  angels,  merely  from  the 
sound  or  tone  of  voice  of  him  who  speaks,  perceive  his  life’s 
loves,  together  with  certain  affections  which  are  derivations. 
These  things  are  adduced,  in  order  that  it  may  be  known,  that 
there  does  not  exist  any  affection  without  its  thought,  or  any 
thought  without  its  affection.  But  more  may  be  seen  on  the 
subject  above  in  this  treatise,  and  in  The  Angelic  Wisdom 

CONCERNING  THE  DlVINE  LOVE  AND  THE  DlVINE  WlSDOM. 

195.  How,  as  the  life’s  love  has  its  delight,  and  the  wisdom 
thereof  has  its  pleasantness,  and  in  like  manner  every  affec¬ 
tion — which  in  its  essence  is  a  subordinate  love  derived  from 
the  life’s  love,  as  a  stream  from  its  fountain,  or  as  a  branch 
121 


195,  196  ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 

from  its  tree,  or  as  an  artery  from  its  heart — has  its  deiight, 
and  thence  every  perception  and  thought  its  pleasantness ;  it 
therefore  follows,  that  those  delights  and  pleasantnesses  consti¬ 
tute  a  man’s  life.  What  is  life  without  its  delight  and  pleasant¬ 
ness  ?  It  is  not  any  thing  animate,  but  inanimate.  Diminish 
delight  and  pleasantness,  and  you  will  grow  cold  or  torpid  ;  take 
them  away,  and  you  will  expire  and  die.  From  the  delights  of 
the  affections,  and  the  pleasantnesses  of  the  perceptions  and 
thoughts,  is  derived  the  vital  heat.  Since  every  affection  has 
its  delight,  and  the  thought  thence  derived  its  pleasantness,  it 
/nay  be  plainly  seen  whence  are  good  and  truth,  and  also  what 
they  are  in  their  essence.  Good  is  to  every  one  that  which  is 
the  delight  of  his  affection,  and  truth  that  which  is  the  plea¬ 
santness  of  his  thought  thence  derived :  for  every  one  calls  that 
good  which  from  the  love  of  his  will  he  feels  delightful,  and 
that  true  which  from  the  wisdom  of  his  understanding  he  thence 
perceives  as  pleasant.  They  both  flow  from  the  life’s  love,  as 
water  from  a  fountain,  or  as  blood  from  the  heart ;  and  taken 
together  are  like  a  tide  or  atmosphere  in  which  dwells  the  whole 
human  mind.  These  two,  delight  and  pleasantness,  are  spi¬ 
ritual  in  the  mind,  but  natural  in  the  body ;  and  as  existing  in 
both  they  constitute  a  man’s  life.  Hence  it  is  evident  what  that 
is  in  a  man  which  is  called  good,  and  what  that  which  is  called 
true ;  also,  what  that  is  in  a  man  which  is  called  evil,  and  what 
that  which  is  called  false  ;  namely,  that  that  is  evil  to  him  which 
destroys  the  delight  of  his  affection,  and  that  false  which  destroys 
the  pleasantness  of  his  thought  thence  derived.  It  is  further 
evident,  that  evil  from  its  delight  and  falsity  from  its  plea¬ 
santness,  may  be  called  and  thought  good  and  true.  Goods 
and  truths  are  indeed  changes  and  variations  of  state  in  the 
forms  of  the  mind,  but  these  are  only  perceived  and  exist  by 
their  delights  and  pleasantnesses.  These  things  are  stated,  that 
it  may  be  known  wdiat  affection  and  thought  are  in  their  life. 

196.  How,  since  it  is  not  a  man’s  body,  but  his  mind  which 
thinks,  and  thinks  from  the  delight  of  its  affection;  and  since 
a  man’s  mind  is  his  spirit,  which  lives  after  death,  it  follows 
that  a  man’s  spirit  is  nothing  but  affection,  and  thought  thence 
derived.  That  there  cannot  exist  any  thought  without  affection, 
is  very  evident  from  spirits  and  angels  in  the  spiritual  world ; 
for  all  there  think  from  the  affections  of  their  life’s  love,  the 
delight  thereof  encompassing  every  one  as  his  atmosphere ;  and 
all  there  are  connected  according  to  the  spheres  emanating  from 
their  affections  through  their  thoughts.  The  character  and 
quality,  also,  of  every  one  is  known  from  the  sphere  of  his  life. 
Hence  it  may  appear,  that  all  thought  is  from  affection,  and 
that  it  is  the  form  of  its  affection.  It  is  the  same  with  the  will 
and  the  understanding ;  the  same  with  good  and  truth ;  and  the 
same  with  charity  and  faith. 

122 


THE  DIVINE  rjROYIDENCE. 


197 


197.  II.  That  the  affections  of  a  marts  life's  love  are  'known 
to  the  Lord  alone.  A  man  knows  his  thoughts  and  thence  his 
intentions,  because  he  sees  them  in  himself;  and  as  all  prudence 
is  from  them,  he  sees  that  also  in  himself.  If  in  this  case  his 
life’s  love  is  the  love  of  self,  he  comes  into  the  pride  of  self- 
derived  intelligence,  and  ascribes  prudence  to  himself,  collecting 
arguments  in  favour  of  it,  and  so  receding  from  the  acknow- 
ledsrment  of  the  Divine  Providence.  It  is  similar  if  the  love 
of  the  world  is  his  life’s  love ;  but  then  he  does  not  recede  in 
the  same  degree.  From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that 
these  two  loves  ascribe  all  things  to  the  man  and  his  prudence ; 
and,  if  examined  more  interiorly,  nothing  to  God  and  his  pro¬ 
vidence.  Therefore  when  persons  of  that  description  happen  to 
hear  it  stated  as  the  truth,  that  human  prudence  is  nothing,  and 
that  it  is  the  Divine  Providence  alone  which  governs  all  tilings, 
they  laugh  at  it  if  they  are  absolute  atheists ;  but  if  they  retain 
any  thing  of  religion  in  the  memory,  and  it  is  affirmed  to  them 
that  all  wisdom  is  from  God,  they  acknowledge  it  indeed  at  first 
hearing,  but  yet  inwardly  in  their  spirit  deny  it.  Such  par¬ 
ticularly  are  priests,  who  love  themselves  better  than  God,  and 
the  world  better  than  heaven,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  who 
worship  God  for  the  sake  of  honours  and  interest,  and  yet  preach 
that  charity  and  faith,  every  thing  good  and  true,  likewise  ail 
wisdom,  and  even  all  prudence,  are  from  God,  and  nothing 
from  man.  In  the  spiritual  world  I  once  heard  two  priests  dis¬ 
puting  with  a  certain  royal  legate  concerning  human  prudence, 
whether  it  be  from  God  or  from  man ;  and  their  dispute  wTas 
warm.  They  all  three  in  their  hearts  thought  alike,  namely,  that 
human  prudence  does  every  thing,  and  the  Divine  Providence 
nothing ;  but  the  priests,  who  were  then  under  the  influence  of 
theological  zeal,  said  that  nothing  of  wisdom  and  prudence  is 
from  man ;  and  when  the  legate  replied,  that  at  that  rate  there 
would  be  no  thought  from  man  either,  they  said  that  there  wTas 
none.  As  it  was  perceived  by  the  angels,  however,  that  these 
three  were  of  the  same  opinion,  the  legate  wTas  told  to  put  on 
the  garments  of  a  priest,  and  think  himself  a  priest,  and  then 
to  speak:  he  accordingly  did  put  them  on,  and  thought  as  he 
was  desired  ;  and  then  he  declared  loudly  that  there  never  can 
be  any  wisdom  or  produce  in  a  man  but  from  God,  and  defended 
himself  with  his  usual  elocpience,  full  of  rational  arguments. 
Afterwards  they  said  to  the  two  priests  also,  Put  off  your  gar¬ 
ments,  and  put  on  the  garments  of  political  ministers,  and  think 
yourselves  such  :  they  did  so,  and  then  at  the  same  time  thought 
from  their  inner  selves,  and  spoke  from  arguments  which  they  had 
before  cherished  inwardly  in  favour  of  human  prudence  against 
the  Divine  Providence.  As  these  three  were  in  a  similar  faith, 
they  subsequently  became  intimate  friends  and  entered  together 
into  the  path  of  self-derived  prudence,  which  leads  to  hell. 

123 


198,  199 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


198.  It  was  shown  above,  that  a  man  has  not  any  thought, 
except  from  some  affection  of  his  life’s  love,  and  that  thought 
is  nothing  else  than  the  form  of  affection.  Since,  therefore, 
a  man  sees  his  thought,  and  cannot  see  his  affection,  for  he 
feels  the  latter,  it  follows,  that  it  is  from  sight,  which  is  in 
appearance,  that  he  concludes  self-derived  prudence  to  do  every 
thing;  and  not  from  affection,  which  does  not  come  into  sight, 
but  into  sensation.  For  affection  only  manifests  itself  by  a 
certain  delight  of  thought  and  pleasure  of  ratiocination  concern¬ 
ing  it,  and  then  this  pleasure  and  delight  make  one  with  thought 
in  those  who  are  in  the  belief  of  self-derived  prudence  from  the 
love  of  self  or  the  love  of  the  world ;  and  thought  flows  in  its 
delight  as  a  ship  in  the  current  of  a  river,  to  which  the  sailor 
does  not  attend,  but  only  to  the  sails  which  he  expands. 

199.  A  man  can  reflect,  indeed,  upon  the  delight  of  his 
external  affection,  when  it  acts  as  one  with  the  delioht  of  any 
bodily  sense ;  but  yet  he  does  not  reflect  that  that  delight  is 
from  the  delight  of  his  affection  in  thought.  For  example  :  when 
a  fornicator  sees  a  harlot,  his  eyes  sparkle  with  the  Are  of  las¬ 
civiousness,  and  from  it  he  feels  delight  in  the  body ;  but  yet 
he  does  not  feel  the  delight  of  his  affection  or  concupiscence  in 
thought,  but  as  something  of  cupidity  in  the  body.  It  is  the 
same  with  a  robber  in  the  woods,  when  he  sees  travellers ;  a 
pirate  in  the  sea,  when  he  sees  ships  ;  and  so  with  others.  That 
these  delights  govern  his  thoughts,  and  that  his  thoughts  are 
nothing  without  them,  is  evident ;  but  he  thinks  that  they  are 
only  thoughts,  when  nevertheless  thoughts  are  nothing  but 
affections  composed  into  forms  by  his  life’s  love,  that  they  may 
appear  in  the  light ;  for  all  affection  is  in  heat,  and  all  thought  in 
light.  These  are  affections  of  external  thought,  which  manifest 
themselves  indeed  in  the  sensation  of  the  body,  but  rarely  in  the 
thought  of  the  mind :  but  the  affections  of  internal  thought, 
from  which  the  external  exist,  never  manifest  themselves  to  a 
man.  Of  these  he  knows  no  more  than  a  traveller  sleeping  in  a 
carriage  does  of  his  journey,  or  than  a  man  feels  the  circum- 
rotation  of  the  earth.  Aow,  since  a  man  knows  nothing  of  the 
things  which  are  transacted  in  the  interiors  of  his  mind,  which 
are  so  infinite  tiiat  they  cannot  be  defined  by  numbers,  and  yet 
the  few  externals  which  come  to  the  sight  of  his  thought  are 
produced  from  interiors,  and  the  interiors  are  regulated  of  the 
Lord  alone  by  his  Divine  Providence,  and  those  few  externals 
by  the  Lord  in  conjunction  with  the  man ;  how  can  any  one  say, 
that  his  own  prudence  does  every  thing?  If  you  were  only  to 
see  one  idea  of  thought  disclosed,  you  would  see  more  stupendous 
things  than  tongue  can  utter.  That  in  the  interiors  of  a  man’s 
mind  there  are  such  infinite  things  as  cannot  be  defined  by 
numbers,  is  evident  from  the  infinite  number  of  things  in  the 
bodv,  from  which  nothing  comes  to  the  sight  and  sense  but 

c  124 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


199-201 


action  alone  in  much  simplicity,  to  which,  nevertheless,  concur 
thousands  of  moving  or  muscular  fibres,  thousands  of  nervous 
fibres,  thousands  of  blood-vessels,  and  thousands  of  pulmonary 
vessels,  which  must  co-operate  in  every  action,  thousands  of 
things  in  the  brains  and  in  the  spinal  marrow  ;  and  there  are 
many  more  still  in  the  spiritual  man,  which  is  the  human  mind: 
all  the  things  whereof  are  forms  of  affections,  and  of  perceptions 
and  thoughts  thence  derived.  Does  not  the  soul  which  disposes 
interior  things  dispose  actions  also  by  virtue  thereof?  A  man’s 
soul  is  nothing  but  the  love  of  his  will,  and  the  love  of  his  un¬ 
derstanding  thence  derived  :  such  as  this  love  is,  such  is  the 
whole  man ;  and  he  is  made  such  according  to  the  disposition 
in  externals  in  which  he  is  concerned  with  the  Lord.  Therefore 
if  he  attributes  all  things  to  himself  and  to  nature,  his  soul 
becomes  the  love  of  self ;  but  if  he  attributes  all  things  to  the 
Lord,  his  soul  becomes  the  love  of  the  Lord :  and  the  latter  love 
is  celestial,  but  the  former  infernal. 

200.  How,  since  the  delights  of  a  man’s  affections  carry  him 
from  inmost  thing’s  by  the  interiors  to  the  exteriors,  and  at 
length  to  the  outermost,  which  are  in  the  body,  as  the  airs 
and  currents  carry  a  ship  ;  and  since  nothing  of  them  appears 
to  the  man  but  what  is  done  in  the  outermost  of  the  mind  and 
of  the  body,  how  can  a  man  claim  to  himself  what  is  divine  from 
this  circumstance  alone,  that  those  few  outermost  things  appear 
to  him  as  his  own  ?  Still  less  ought  he  to  claim  to  himself  what 
is  divine,  when  he  knows  from  The  Word,  that  a  man  cannot 
take  any  thing  from  himself,  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven ; 
and  knows  from  reason,  that  that  appearance  is  granted  him, 
in  order  that  he  may  live  a  man,  see  what  is  good  and  evil, 
choose  one  or  the  other,  and  appropriate  to  himself  that  which 
he  chooses,  that  there  may  be  a  possibility  of  his  being  joined 
reciprocally  to  the  Lord,  reformed,  regenerated,  saved,  and  of 
his  living  to  eternity.  That  this  appearance  was  granted  to  man 
that  he  might  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  thus  as  if 
from  himself,  and  not  hang  down  his  hands  and  wait  for  influx, 
was  stated  and  shown  above.  Hence  follows  the  confirmation 
of  that  which  was  to  be  demonstrated  thirdly,  That  the  affections 
of  a  mail's  life's  love  are  led  of  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence ,  and  at  the  same  time  his  thoughts ,  from  which  human 
prudence  is  derived. 

201.  IV.  That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  connects 
together  the  affections  of  the  whole  human  race  into  one  form, 
which  is  the  human.  That  this  is  a  universal  of  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence,  will  be  seen  in  the  subsequent  paragraph.  Those  who 
ascribe  all  things  to  nature,  likewise  ascribe  all  tilings  to  human 
prudence  ;  for  those  who  ascribe  all  things  to  nature  deny  God 
in  their  hearts,  and  those  who  ascribe  all  things  to  human 
prudence,  deny  the  Divine  Providence  in  their  hearts:  one  is 

125 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


201,  202 

not  separable  from  the  other.  Yet  both  these  sorts  of  persona 
for  the  sake  of  their  reputation,  and  for  fear  of  losing  it,  profess 
with  their  mouths  that  the  Divine  Providence  is  universal  or 
general,  but  that  the  singulars  of  it  rest  with  man ;  and  that 
these  singulars  in  their  complex  are  understood  by  human  pru¬ 
dence.  But  think  within  yourself,  what  is  universal  providence, 
when  singulars  are  separated  from  it?  Is  it  any  thing  more 
than  a  bare  word  ?  For  that  is  called  universal  which  is  formed 
of  singulars  connected  together,  as  that  is  common  which  exists 
from  particulars.  If,  therefore,  you  separate  singulars,  what 
then  is  the  universal  but  like  something  which  is  empty  within, 
consequently  like  a  surface  within  which  there  is  nothing,  or 
like  a  complex  containing  nothing  ?  If  it  should  be  alleged, 
that  the  Divine  Providence  is  a  universal  government,  and  that 
nothing  is  governed,  but  only  kept  in  its  connection,  while  the 
things  which  relate  to  government  are  disposed  by  others,  can 
this  be  called  a  universal  government?  Yo  kins:  has  such  a 
government  as  this  ;  for  if  a  king  were  to  allow  his  subjects  to 
govern  every  thing  in  his  kingdom,  he  would  be  no  longer  a  king, 
but  would  only  be  called  a  king;,  therefore  would  have  only  a 
nominal  and  not  a  real  dignity.  Such  a  king  cannot  be  said  to 
hold  the  government,  much  less  universal  government.  Provi¬ 
dence  with  God  is  called  prudence  with  man :  as  there  cannot 
be  said  to  be  universal  prudence  in  a  king  who  has  reserved  to 
himself  no  more  than  the  name,  in  order  that  his  kingdom  may 
be  called  a  kingdom,  and  thus  kept  together ;  so  neither  could 
there  be  said  to  be  a  universal  Providence,  if  men  from  their 
own  prudence  were  to  provide  every  thing.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  name  of  universal  providence,  and  of  universal  government, 
as  spoken  in  relation  to  nature,  when  it  is  understood  that  God 
created  the  universe,  and  endued  nature  with  a  power  of  pro¬ 
ducing  all  things  from  herself :  what  is  universal  providence  in 
this  case,  but  a  metaphysical  term,  or  a  mere  sound  without 
meaning  ?  And  of  those  who  attribute  to  nature  every  thing  that 
is  produced,  and  to  human  prudence  every  thing  that  is  done, 
yet  profess  with  their  mouths  that  God  created  nature,  many 
think  no  otherwise  of  the  Divine  Providence  than  as  of  an  empty 
sound.  But  the  case  really  is,  that  the  Divine  Providence  exists 
in  the  most  minute  particulars  of  nature,  and  in  the  most  minute 
particulars  of  human  prudence,  and  by  governing  these  particu¬ 
lars,  governs  universally. 

202.  The  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  is  universal  from 
things  the  most  particular  in  this,  that  he  created  the  universe, 
to  the  end  that  an  infinite  and  eternal  creation  might  exist 

V _ / 

therein  from  himself ;  and  this  creation  exists  by  the  Lord's 
forming  from  men  a  heaven,  which  appears  before  him  as  one 
man,  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  himself.  That  heaven  formed 
from  men  is  such  in  the  sight  }f  the  Lord,  and  that  this  was 
126 


THE  DIVINE  PEOYIDENCE. 


202,  203 


the  end  of  creation,  was  shown  above,  n.  27 — 45  :  and  that  the 
Divine,  in  all  that  it  does,  has  respect  to  what  is  infinite  and 
eternal,  n.  56 — 69.  The  infinite  and  eternal  to  which  the  Lord 
has  respect  in  forming  his  heaven  out  of  men,  is,  that  it  may  be 
enlarged  to  infinity  and  eternity ;  and  thus  that  he  may  con¬ 
stantly  dwell  in  the  end  of  his  creation.  This  creation  which 
the  Lord  provided  by  the  creation  of  the  universe  is  infinite 
and  eternal,  and  in  this  creation  he  is  constantly  engaged  by  his 
Divine  Providence.  Who  that  knows  and  believes  from  the 
doctrine  of  the  church,  that  God  is  infinite  and  eternal — {for 
the  doctrine  of  all  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world  holds,  that 
God  the  Father ,  God  the  Son ,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost ,  is  infi¬ 
nite ,  eternal ,  uncreate ,  and  omnipotent  /  see  the  Athanasian  Creed) 
— can  be  so  void  of  reason  as  not  to  assent,  when  he  hears  that 
God  cannot  do  otherwise  than  respect  infinity  and  eternity  in  his 
great  work  of  creation, — (for  how  can  he  act  otherwise  when  he 
acts  from  himself?) — and  also  that  he  respects  this  in  the  human 
race,  out  of  which  he  forms  his  own  heaven  ?  What  else  then 
can  the  Divine  Providence  have  for  its  end,  but  the  reformation 
and  salvation  of  the  human  race  ?  And  no  one  can  be  reformed 
of  himself  by  his  own  prudence,  but  of  the  Lord  by  his  Divine 
Providence  :  hence  it  follows,  that  except  a  man  is  led  by  the 
Lord  every  moment,  even  every  the  most  minute  point  of  time, 
he  departs  from  the  way  of  reformation,  and  perishes.  Every 
chano’e  and  variation  of  state  of  the  human  mind  changes  and 
varies  something  in  the  series  of  things  present,  and  thereby  of 
things  consequent :  what  then  must  it  not  do  in  the  progression 
to  eternity  ?  It  is  like  an  arrow  shot  from  a  bow,  which,  if  its 
direction  at  first  should  decline  ever  so  little  from  the  mark, 
would  diverge  immensely  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more  ;  so 
would  it  be  if  the  Lord,  every  the  least  moment,  did  not  lead 
and  govern  the  state  of  human  minds.  This  the  Lord  does 
according  to  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence  ;  according  to 
which  it  is  also  necessary,  that  it  should  appear  to  a  man  as  il 
he  led  himself;  but  the  Lord  foresees  how  he  will  lead  or  guide 
himself,  and  continually  provides  accordingly.  That  the  laws 
of  permission  are  also  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  ;  that  every 
man  may  be  reformed  and  regenerated  ;  and  that  there  does  not 
exist  any  such  thins;  as  predestination,  will  be  seen  in  what 
follows. 

203.  Since,  therefore,  every  man  lives  after  death  to  eternity, 
and  according  to  his  life  here  has  his  place  assigned  to  him 
either  in  heaven  or  in  hell,  and  both  these,  as  well  heaven  as 
hell,  must  be  in  such  a  form  as  to  act  as  one,  as  was  said  before ; 
and  since  no  one  can  occupy  any  other  place  in  that  form  but 
his  own  ;  it  follows,  that  the  human  race  throughout  the  whole 
world  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lord,  and  that  every  one, 
from  his  infancy  even  to  the  end  vf  his  life,  is  led  of  him  in  the 
127 


903—206 


AXGELIC  WISDOM  COXCERXIXG 


most  minute  particulars,  and  his  place  foreseen,  and  at  the  same 
time  provided.  From  which  considerations  it  is  evident,  that 
the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  is  universal,  because  it  is  in 
the  most  minute  particulars ;  and  that  this  is  the  infinite  and 
eternal  creation  which  the  Lord  has  provided  for  himself  by  the 
creation  of  the  universe.  Of  this  universal  providence  a  man 
does  not  see  any  tiling  ;  and  if  he  did,  it  could  not  appear  to 
him  otherwise  than  as  the  scattered  heaps  and  collections  of 
materials,  out  of  which  a  house  is  to  be  formed,  appear  to  those 
who  pass  by ;  but  by  the  Lord  it  is  seen  as  a  magnificent  palace, 
the  building  and  enlarging  of  which  is  continually  going  on. 

204.  V.  That  heaven  and  hell  are  in  such  a  form.  That 

heaven  is  in  the  human  form,  has  been  made  known  in  the 

/ 

work  concerning  Heayex  axd  Hell,  published  in  London  in 
1758,  n.  59 — 102;  also  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divixe 
Love  axd  the  Divixe  Wisdom  ;  and  in  some  parts  of  this 
treatise ;  it  is  therefore  unnecessary  to  give  it  further  con¬ 
firmation.  It  is  said  that  hell  also  is  in  the  human  form,  but 
it  is  in  a  monstrous  human  form,  such  as  is  that  of  the  devil, 
by  whom  is  meant  hell  in  its  whole  complex.  It  is  in  the 
human  form,  because  those  also  wdio  are  there  were  born  men, 
and  have  moreover  those  two  human  faculties  which  are  called 
liberty  and  rationality,  although  tliev  have  abused  their  liberty 
to  will  and  to  do  evil,  and  their  rationality  to  think  and  con- 

)  4/ 

firm  it. 

205.  VI.  That  those  who  have  acknowledged  nature  alone 
and  human  prudence  alone ,  constitute  hell  /  and  those  who  have 
acknowledged  God  and  his  Divine  Providence  constitute  heaven. 
All  wdio  lead  an  evil  life  interiorly  acknowledge  nature  and 
human  prudence  alone;  for  such  acknowledgment  lies  inwardly 
concealed  in  all  evil,  however  it  may  be  covered  by  things  good 
and  true ;  these  being  borrowed  garments,  or  like  perishable 
decorations  of  flowers,  strewed  over  evil  lest  it  should  appear  in 
its  nakedness.  That  all  who  lead  an  evil  life  interiorly  acknow¬ 
ledge  nature  and  human  prudence  alone,  is  not  known  because 
of  that  common  covering  by  which  it  is  hid  from  view ;  but  that 
they  do  nevertheless  acknowledge  them,  may  appear  from  the 
origin  and  cause  of  such  acknowledgment,  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  what  it  may  be  expedient  to  explain,  wdience  and 
what  self-derived  prudence  is ;  then,  whence  and  what  the 
Divine  Providence  is  ;  afterwards,  who  and  what  kind  of  persons 
they  are  who  favor  the  latter,  and  also  those  who  favor  the 
former;  and  lastly,  that  those  wTho  acknowledge  the  Divine 
Providence  are  in  heaven,  and  those  who  acknowledge  self- 
derived  prudence  are  in  hell. 

206.  Whence  axd  wthat  self -derived  prudence  is.  It  is  from 
a  man’s  proprium  wdiich  is  his  nature,  and  is  called  his  soul, 
derived  from  the  parent.  Tins  proprium  is  the  love  of  self  and 

128 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


206,  207 


the  love  of  the  world  thence  derived,  or  the  love  of  the  world 
and  the  love  of  self  thence  derived.  The  love  of  self  is  such, 
that  it  regards  itself  only,  and  looks  upon  others  either  as  vile 
or  of  no  account ;  or  if  it  respects  any  person  or  thing,  it  is  only 
so  long  as  they  honour  and  worship  itself.  Just  like  the  effort 
to  fructify  and  propagate,  which  is  contained  in  a  seed,  there 
lies  concealed  in  the  inmost  of  selfdove  a  desire  to  become 
great,  to  be  made  a  king  if  possible,  and  then  if  possible  to  be 
deified.  Such  is  a  devil,  because  he  is  essentially  the  love  of  self, 
being  such  that  he  adores  himself,  and  favours  no  one  who  does 
not  also  adore  him.  He  hates  another  devil  like  himself,  because 
he  wishes  himself  alone  to  be  adored.  As  no  love  can  exist 
without  its  consort,  and  the  consort  of  love  or  of  the  will  in  a 
man  is  called  the  understanding,  therefore  when  the  love  of  self 
inspires  its  love  into  the  understanding  its  consort,  it  there 
becomes  conceit,  which  is  the  conceit  of  self-derived  intelligence, 
from  which  self-derived  prudence  proceeds.  How,  since  the 
iOve  of  self  desires  to  be  sole  lord  of  the  world,  consequently  a 
god,  therefore  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  which  are  derivations 
thence,  have  from  it  life  in  themselves,  as  have  in  like  manner 
the  perceptions  of  concupiscences,  which  are  all  sorts  of  craft 
and  cunning ;  and  as  have  also  the  delights  of  concupiscences 
which  are  evils,  and  their  thoughts  which  are  falses.  All  these 
are  like  servants  and  ministers  of  their  lord,  and  act  at  his 
command,  not  knowing  that  they  do  not  act,  but  are  acted 
u  pom  being  acted  upon  by  the  love  of  self  through  the  conceit  ol 
self-derived  intelligence.  Hence  it  is  that  self-derived  prudence, 
by  virtue  of  its  origin,  lies  concealed  in  every  evil.  The  reason 
why  an  acknowledgment  of  nature  alone  also  lies  concealed 
therein,  is,  because  self-love  has  closed  as  it  were  its  upper 
window,  or  sky-light,  by  which  there  is  an  open  communication 
with  heaven,  and  the  side  windows  also,  lest  it  should  see  and 
hear  that  the  Lord  alone  governs  all  things,  that  nature  in 
herself  is  void  of  life,  that  a  man’s  proprium  is  hell,  and  con¬ 
sequently  that  the  love  of  the  proprium  is  the  devil :  then,  having 
shut  the  windows,  it  is  in  the  dark,  and  there  makes  a  fire  for 
itself,  by  which  it  sits  down  with  its  consort ;  and  they  reason 

like  friends  in  favour  of  nature  against  Hod.  and  in  favour  of  self- 

^  ' 

derived  prudence  against  the  Divine  Providence. 

207.  Whence  and  what  the  Divine  Providence  is.  It  is 
the  divine  operation  in  the  man  who  removes  the  love  of  self; 
for  self-love,  as  before  said,  is  the  devil,  and  concupiscences 
and  their  delights  are  the  evils  of  his  kingdom,  which  is  hell. 
These  being  removed,  the  Lord  enters  with  affections  of  neigh- 
hourly  love,  and  opens  the  man’s  sky-light,  and  then  his  side 
windows,  causing  him  to  see  that  there  is  a  heaven,  a  life  after 
death,  and  everlasting  happiness;  and  by  means  of  the  spiritual 
light  and  at  the  same  time  spiritual  love  then  flowing  in  causes 
129 


207—210 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


him  to  acknowledge  that  God  by  his  Divine  Providence  governs 
all  things. 

20S.  Who  and  what  kind  of  persons  those  are  who  favour 
the  latter ,  and  also  those  who  favour  the  former.  Those  who 
acknowledge  God  and  his  Divine  Providence,  are  like  the  angels 
of  heaven,  who  dislike  to  be  led  of  themselves,  and  love  to  be 
led  of  the  Lord  :  and  a  sign  of  their  being  led  of  the  Lord,  is, 

O  O  j  j 

that  they  love  their  neighbour.  But  those  who  acknowledge 
nature  and  their  own  prudence,  are  like  infernal  spirits,  who 
dislike  to  be  led  of  the  Lord,  and  love  to  be  led  of  themselves. 
These,  if  they  are  persons  of  distinction  in  a  kingdom,  desire  to 
have  dominion  in  all  things.  So,  also,  if  they  are  primates  ot 
the  church.  If  they  are  judges,  they  pervert  judgment,  and 
exercise  dominion  over  the  laws.  If  men  of  learning,  they  applv 
scientifics  to  confirm  the  proprium  of  man  and  nature.  It 
they  are  merchants,  they  act  as  thieves  :  if  husbandmen,  as 
robbers.  They  are  all  enemies  of  God,  and  deriders  of  the  Divine 
Providence. 

209.  It  is  wonderful,  that  when  heaven  is  opened  to  such, 
and  they  are  told  that  they  are  mad,  and  their  madness  is  also 
made  manifest  to  their  perception,  which  is  done  by  influx  and 
illumination,  they  still,  from  indignation,  shut  heaven  against 
themselves,  and  look  down  to  the  earth,  under  which  is  hell. 
This  is  the  case  with  such  of  them  in  the  spiritual  world  as  aie 
still  out  of  hell,  and  yet  of  such  a  disposition ;  from  which 
circumstance  is  evinced  the  error  of  those  who  think,  If  I  were 
to  see  heaven,  and  hear  the  angels  speak  to  me,  I  should  acknow¬ 
ledge.  Their  understanding  however  acknowledges  ;  but  if  their 
will  does  not  at  the  same  time,  they  nevertheless  do  not  acknow¬ 
ledge  ;  for  the  love  of  the  will  infuses  into  the  understanding 

O  y  O 

whatever  it  chooses,  and  not  vice  versa  •  obliterating  indeed 
every  thing  in  the  understanding  which  is  not  from  itself. 

210.  VII.  That  all  these  things  cannot  he  effected ,  unless 
it  appears  to  a  man  that  he  thinks  and  disposes  from  himself. 
That  in  case  it  did  not  appear  to  a  man,  as  if  he  lived  from 
himself,  and  thus  thought  and  willed,  spoke  and  acted  as  from 
himself,  he  would  not  be  a  man,  is  fully  demonstrated  in  the 
preceding  pages :  from  which  it  follows,  that  if  a  man  did  not 
dispose,  as  if  from  his  own  prudence,  all  things  appertaining 
to  his  function  and  life,  he  could  not  be  guided  and  regulated 
bv  the  Divine  Providence  ;  for  he  would  be  like  one  standing 
with  his  hands  hanging  down,  his  mouth  open,  his  eyes  shut, 
and  his  breath  indrawn,  in  expectation  of  influx.  lie  would 
therefore  divest  himself  of  humanity,  which  consists  in  the 
perception  and  sensation  that  he  lives,  thinks,  wills,  speaks, 
and  acts  as  if  from  himself;  and  at  the  same  time  he  would 
divest  himself  of  his  two  faculties,  liberty  and  rationality,  by 
which  he  is  distinguished  from  beasts.  That  without  such 

130 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


210—212 


appearance  no  man  would  possess  receptibilitv  and  reciprocality, 
or  therefore  immortality,  is  demonstrated  above  in  this  treatise, 
and  also  in  that  on  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom. 
Therefore,  if  you  desire  to  be  led  by  the  Divine  Providence,  use 
prudence,  as  a  servant  and  minister,  who  may  faithfully  dispense 
the  goods  of  his  master.  This  prudence  is  the  talent  given  to 
the  servants  to  traffic  with,  of  which  they  are  to  render  an  ac¬ 
count  (Luke  xix.  13 — 25  ;  Matt.  xxv.  11 — 31).  Prudence 
itself  appears  to  a  man  as  his  own,  and  is  believed  to  be  his 
own,  so  long  as  he  keeps  shut  up  within  himself  that  most 
inveterate  enemy  of  God  and  the  Divine  Providence,  self-love, 
which  dwells  in  the  interiors  of  every  man  from  his  birth.  If 
you  do  not  know  him, — for  he  desires  not  to  be  known, — he 
dwells  securely,  and  guards  the  door,  lest  a  man  should  open 
it,  and  he  should  thus  be  cast  out  by  the  Lord.  That  door 
is  opened  by  a  man,  when,  as  if  from  himself,  he  shuns  evils 
as  sins,  with  an  acknowledgment  that  he  does  so  from  the  Lord. 
It  is  this  prudence  with  which  the  Divine  Providence  acts  as 
one. 

211.  The  reason  why  the  Divine  Providence  operates  so 
secretly,  that  scarcely  any  one  knows  that  it  exists,  is,  in  order 
that  a  man  may  not  perish;  for  a  man’s  proprium  which  is  his 
will,  never  acts  as  one  with  the  Divine  Providence.  A  man’s 
proprium  has  an  innate  enmity  against  it;  for  it  is  that  serpent 
which  seduced  our  first  parents,  of  which  it  is  written,  “  I  will 
put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed:  it  shall  bruise  thy  head”  (Gen.  iii.  15).  The 
serpent  is  evil  of  every  kind :  his  head  is  self-love :  the  seed  of 
the  woman  is  the  Lord :  the  enmity  is  between  a  man’s  self-love 
and  the  Lord,  therefore  also  between  a  man’s  self-derived  pru¬ 
dence  and  the  Lord’s  Divine  Providence ;  for  self-derived  pru 
dence  is  continually  lifting  up  its  head,  and  the  Divine  Provi 
dence  is  continually  keeping  it  down.  If  a  man  felt  this,  he 
would  be  enraged  and  exasperated  against  God,  and  would 
perish:  but  while  lie  does  not  feel  or  perceive  it,  he  maybe 
enraged  and  exasperated  against  men,  against  himself,  and 
likewise  against  fortune,  and  yet  not  perish.  Hence  it  is,  that 
the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  continually  leads  a  man  in 
freedom,  and  being  in  freedom,  it  appears  no  otherwise  to  him 
than  that  he  is  led  by  his  own  proprium.  To  lead  in  freedom 
one  who  is  in  opposition  to  him  that  leads,  is  like  raising  from 
the  earth  a  great  resisting  weight  with  pulleys,  by  which  means 
the  weight  and  resistance  are  not  felt ;  or  as,  when  anv  one  is 
in  the  power  of  an  enemy,  whose  intention  is  to  put  him  to 
death,  which  he  does  not  then  know,  and  a  friend  contrives  his 
escape  through  unknown  ways,  and  afterwards  discovers  to  him 
the  enemy’s  intention. 

212.  Who  does  not  talk  of  fortune,  and  who  does  not 

131  j 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


212,  213 

acknowledge  it,  because  lie  talks  of  it,  and  because  lie  knows 
something  of  it  by  experience  ?  But  wdio  knows  what  it  is '? 
That  it  is  something,  because  it  is  and  exists,  cannot  be  denied ; 
and  nothing  can  be  and  exist  without  a  cause ;  but  the  cause  of 
this  something  or  of  fortune  is  not  known.  Yet  lest  it  should 
be  denied,  merely  from  ignorance  of  that  cause,  take  dice,  or 
cards,  and  play  with  them,  or  consult  players :  which  of  them 
denies  fortune?  for  they  play  with  it,  and  it  with  them,  in  a 
wonderful  manner.  Who  can  oppose  it,  if  it  is  obstinate  ? 
Does  it  not  in  such  case  make  a  jest  of  prudence  and  wisdom? 
When  you  throw  the  dice  and  shuffle  the  cards,  does  it  not  seem 
as  if  it  knew  and  disposed  the  evolutions  and  motions  of  the 
hands,  to  favour  one  more  than  another,  from  some  certain 
cause?  Can  this  cause  exist  from  an}7  other  source,  than  the 
Divine  Providence  in  ultimates,  where,  by  constant,  and  in¬ 
constant  things,  it  deals  wonderfully  with  human  prudence,  and 
at  the  same  time  conceals  itself?  That  the  Gentiles  formerly 
acknowledged  Fortune,  and  that  those  of  Italy  also  built  a  tem¬ 
ple  for  her  at  Pome,  is  well  known.  Concerning  this  fortune, 
which  is,  as  was  said,  the  Divine  Providence  in  ultimates,  many 
things  have  been  made  known  which  it  is  not  permitted  me  to 
reveal ;  and  from  which  it  was  evinced  to  me,  that  it  is  not  an 
illusion  of  the  mind,  or  a  sporting  of  nature,  or  something  with¬ 
out  a  cause,  for  that  is  not  any  thing ;  but  that  it  is  an  ocular 
testification,  that  the  Divine  Providence  is  in  the  most  minute 
particulars  of  a  man’s  thoughts  and  actions.  When  the  Divine 
Providence  operates  in  the  smallest  particulars  of  matters  so 
mean  and  trifling,  what  must  it  not  do  in  the  paiticulars  of  things 
not  mean  and  trifling,  such  as  the  affairs  of  peace  and  war  upon 
earth,  and  those  of  salvation  and  everlasting  life  in  heaven ! 

213.  But  I  know  that  human  prudence  brings  over  the 
rational  faculty  to  take  part  with  it,  more  than  with  the  Divine 
Providence,  because  the  latter  does  not  appear,  and  the  former 
does.  It  can  be  more  easily  conceded  that  there  is  one  sole  life, 
which  is  God,  and  that  all  men  are  recipients  of  life  from  him, 
as  was  abundantly  shown  before ;  and  this  nevertheless  amounts 
to  the  same  thing,  because  prudence  is  of  life.  Who  does  not 
reason  in  favour  of  human  prudence  and  nature,  when  he  reasons 
from  the  natural  or  external  man  ?  Whereas,  who  does  not 
reason  in  favour  of  the  Divine  Providence  and  of  God,  when  he 
reasons  from  the  spiritual  or  internal  man  ?  But  write,  I  pray 
you,  two  books  (1  speak  this  tc  the  natural  man),  one  in  favour 
of  self-derived  prudence,  another  in  favour  of  nature,  and  fill 
them  with  plausible,  probable,  and  likely  arguments,  such  as  in 
your  opinion  are  solid  ;  and  when  you  have  done,  put  them 
into  the  hand  of  any  angel,  and  I  know  that  there  will  be 
written  under  them  these  few  words :  They  are  all  appearances 
and  fallacies. 

132 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


214,  215 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  HAS  RESPECT  TO  THINGS 

ETERNAL,  AND  NOT  TO  THINGS  TEMPORARY,  EXCEPT  SO 

FAR  AS  THEY  ACCORD  WITH  THINGS  ETERNAL. 

214.  That  the  Divine  Providence  lias  respect  to  things  eter¬ 
nal,  and  not  to  things  temporary,  except  so  far  as  they  accord 
with  things  eternal,  or  make  one  with  them,  is  to  he  demon¬ 
strated  in  the  following  order : — I.  That  temporary  things  relate 
to  dignities  and  riches,  therefore  to  honours  and  emoluments,  in 
this  world.  II.  That  eternal  things  relate  to  spiritual  honours 
and  riches,  which  are  of  love  and  wisdom,  in  heaven.  III. 
That  things  temporary  and  eternal  are  separated  by  man,  but 
joined  by  the  Lord.  IT.  That  the  conjunction  of  things  tem¬ 
porary  and  eternal  is  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord. 

215.  I.  That  temporary  things  relate  to  dignities  and  riches , 
therefore  to  honours  and  emoluments ,  in  this  world.  There  are 
many  temporary  things,  but  yet  they  all  relate  to  dignities  and 
riches.  By  temporary  things  are  meant  those  which  either 
perish  with  time,  or  cease  with  a  man’s  life  in  this  world  only ; 
but  by  eternal  things  are  meant  those  wdiich  do  not  perish  and 
cease  with  time,  therefore  not  with  the  life  in  this  world.  Since 
all  temporary  things,  as  was  observed,  have  relation  to  dignities 
and  riches,  it  is  important  that  the  following  points  should  be 
understood  ;  namely,  what  and  whence  are  dignities  and  riches  : 
what  is  the  nature  of  the  love  of  them  for  their  own  sake,  and 
what  the  nature  of  the  love  of  them  for  the  sake  of  use :  that 
these  two  loves  are  distinct  from  each  other,  as  hell  is  from 
heaven  :  that  the  difference  between  these  loves  is  difficult  to  be 
known  :  but  of  each  of  these  distinctly.  Piest,  What  and 
whence  are  dignities  and  riches.  Dignities  and  riches  were 
totally  different  in  the  earliest  ages  from  what  they  afterwards 
successivelv  became.  Dignities  in  the  most  ancient  times  wTere 
no  other  than  such  as  exist  among  parents  and  their  children, 
which  were  dignities  of  love,  full  of  respect  and  veneration  in 
the  latter  for  the  former,  not  because  they  received  from  them 
birth,  but  instruction  and  wisdom,  which  is  a  second  birth,  in 
itself  spiritual,  because  it  was  the  birth  of  their  spirit.  This 
was  the  onlv  dignity  in  the  earliest  a^es,  because  then  nations, 
families,  and  houses  dwelt  separately,  and  were  not  formed  into 
kingdoms  as  in  the  present  day.  It  was  the  father  of  the  family 
in  whom  that  dignity  resided.  Those  times  were  called  by  the 
ancients  the  golden  age.  After  those  times,  however,  the  love 
of  governing,  from  the  sole  delight  of  that  love,  successively 
crept  in ;  and  because  enmity  and  hostility  against  those  who 
would  not  submit  arose  at  the  same  time,  therefore  nations, 
families,  and  houses  assembled  themselves  together  from  neces¬ 
sity,  and  set  over  themselves  one  whom  at  first  they  called  a 
judge,  afterwards  a  prince,  and  lastly  a  king  and  an  emperor. 

133 


215 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


Then  also  thev  began  to  fortify  themselves  by  towers,  bulwarks, 
and  walls.  From  tiie  judge,  prince,  king,  or  emperor,  as  from 
the  head  into  the  body,  a  lust  of  dominion  spread  itself  like  a 
contagion  among  many,  and  thence  arose  degrees  of  dignities, 
with  honours,  conformable  to  them  ;  and  with  them  self-love,  and 
the  pride  of  self-derived  prudence.  The  case  was  similar  with 
regard  to  the  love  of  riches.  In  the  most  ancient  times,  when 
nations  and  families  dwelt  distinctly  from  each  other,  there  was 
no  other  love  of  riches  than  that  of  possessing  the  necessaries 
of  life,  which  they  procured  for  themselves  by  flocks  and  herds, 
and  by  fields,  pastures,  and  gardens,  from  which  they  derived 
subsistence.  Among  their  necessaries  of  life  were  also  reckoned 
decent  houses,  furnished  with  all  kinds  of  utensils,  and  likewise 
clothing.  The  care  and  management  of  all  these  things  was 
the  business  of  the  parents,  children,  men-servants,  and  maid¬ 
servants  in  the  house.  But  after  the  love  of  dominion  began  to 
prevail,  and  destroyed  this  state  of  society,  the  love  of  possess¬ 
ing  wealth  beyond  their  necessities  also  invaded  mankind,  and 
grew  to  such  a  height  as  to  produce  a  desire  of  possessing  the 
wealth  of  all.  These  two  loves  are  connected  . as  it  were  by  con¬ 
sanguinity  ;  for  he  who  desires  to  rule  over  all  things,  desires 
also  to  possess  all,  that  thus  all  persons  may  become  his  servants, 
and  he  their  sole  lord  and  master.  This  is  plainly  manifested 
among  those  of  the  popish  religion,  who  have  exalted  their  do¬ 
minion  even  into  heaven,  unto  the  throne  of  the  Lord,  upon 
which  they  have  placed  themselves,  and  who  covet  also  the  riches 
of  the  whole  earth,  and  amass  treasures  without  end.  Secondly, 
What  is  the  nature  of  the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for  their 
own  sake ,  and  what  the  nature  of  the  love  of  them  for  the  sake 
of  use.  The  love  of  dignities  and  honours  for  the  sake  of  dig¬ 
nities  and  honours,  is  the  love  of  self,  properly  the  love  of  do¬ 
minion  arising  from  the  love  of  self ;  and  the  love  of  riches  and 
wealth,  for  the  sake  of  riches  and  wealth,  is  the  love  of  the  world, 
properly  the  love  of  possessing  the  goods  of  others  by  any  art 
whatever :  but  the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for  the  sake  of 
uses,  is  the  love  of  uses,  which  is  the  same  with  the  love  of  our 
neighbour  ;  for  that  for  the  sake  of  which  a  man  acts,  is  the  end 
which  he  has  in  view,  and  is  first  or  primary,  while  other  things 
are  means,  and  are  secondary.  With  respect  to  the  love  of  dig¬ 
nities  and  honours  for  their  own  sakes,  which  is  the  same  with  self- 
love,  properly  with  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self,  it  is 
the  love  of  a  man’s  proprium,  and  a  man’s  proprium  is  all  evil. 
Hence  it  is  that  a  man  is  said  to  be  born  in  all  evil,  and  that  his 
hereditary  disposition  is  nothing  but  evil.  A  man’s  hereditary 
disposition  is  his  proprium,  in  which  he  is,  and  into  which  he 
comes  by  self-love,  principally  by  the  love  of  dominion  grounded 
in  the  love  of  self ;  for  the  man  who  is  principled  in  that  love, 
has  respect  to  nothing  but  himself,  and  so  immerses  his  thoughts 
131 


TIIE  DKEE  PROVIDENCE. 


215 


and  affections  into  liis  proprium.  Hence  it  is  that  in  the  love 
of  self  there  dwells  a  love  of  doing  evil ;  the  reason  of  which  is, 
that  the  man  does  not  love  his  neighbour,  but  himself  only  ;  and 
he  who  loves  himself  alone,  sees  others  as  without  himself,  or  as 
vile,  or  of  no  account,  and  despises  them  in  comparison  with 
himself,  whilst  he  makes  light  of  doing  them  mischief.  It  is 
from  this  cause  that  he  who  is  in  the  love  of  dominion  from  the 
love  of  self  scruples  not  to  defraud  his  neighbour,  to  commit 
adultery  with  his  neighbour’s  wife,  to  slander  him,  to  breathe 
revenue  against  him  even  unto  death,  to  treat  him  cruelly,  and 
the  like.  A  man  derives  such  evil  dispositions  from  this  circum¬ 
stance,  that  the  devil  himself,  with  whom  every  one  principled 
in  self-love  is  conjoined,  and  by  whom  he  is  led,  is  nothing  else 
than  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self;  and  he  who  is 
led  of  the  devil,  that  is,  of  hell,  is  led  into  all  the  above  evils, 
and  is  continuallv  led  by  the  delights  of  those  evils.  Hence  it 
is,  that  all  who  are  in  hell  have  a  desire  to  do  mischief  to  every 
one ;  but  those  who  are  in  heaven  have  a  desire  to  do  good  to 
every  one.  From  this  opposition  exists  that  middle  state,  in 
which  a  man  is  placed,  and  in  which  he  is  as  it  were  in  an  ecjui- 
librium,  so  that  he  can  turn  himself  either  to  hell  or  to  heaven ; 
and  in  proportion  as  he  favours  the  evils  of  self-love,  he  turns 
himself  to  hell,  and  in  proportion  as  he  removes  those  evils 
from  himself,  he  turns  himself  to  heaven.  It  has  been  granted 
me  to  feel  of  what  kind  and  how  great  is  the  delight  of  the  love 
of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self.  I  was  let  into  it  in  order 
that  I  might  know  it ;  and  it  was  such,  that  it  exceeded  all  the 
delights  in  the  world.  It  wns  a  delight  of  the  whole  mind  from 
its  inmost  to  its  ultimate  faculties,  but  was  onlv  felt  in  the  bodv 
as  a  certain  pleasure  and  gladness  swelling  in  the  breast.  It 
was  also  granted  me  to  perceive,  that  from  this  delight,  as  from 
their  fountain,  flow  the  delights  of  all  evils,  as  adultery,  revenge, 
fraud,  blasphemy,  and  every  thing  that  is  wicked  in  general. 
There  is  a  similar  delight  also  in  the  love  of  possessing  the 
wealth  of  others  by  any  art  whatever,  and  in  the  concupiscences 
which  are  derivations  from  it ;  but  yet  not  in  the  same  degree, 
unless  it  be  joined  to  the  love  of  self.  With  respect  to  dignities 
and  riches,  however,  that  are  loved  not  for  their  own  sake,  but 
for  the  sake  of  uses,  such  love  is  not  the  love  of  dignities  and 
riches,  but  tie  love  of  uses,  to  which  dignities  and  riches  are 
subservient  as  means  ;  and  this  love  is  celestial :  but  of  it  more 
in  what  follows.  Thirdly,  That  those  two  loves  are  distinct 
from  each  other  as  heaven  and  hell ,  is  evident  from  what  has 
now  been  said  ;  to  which  I  will  add,  that  all  those  who  are  in  the 
love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self,  whoever  they  be,  whether 
great  or  small,  are  in  hell  as  to  their  spirit ;  and  that  all  who 
are  in  that  love,  are  in  the  love  of  all  evils,  which  if  they  do  not 
commit,  thev  still  in  their  spirit  think  them  allowable,  and 
135 


215 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


therefore  do  them  in  the  body,  when  the  consideration  of  dig* 
nity  and  honour,  and  the  fear  of  the  law,  do  not  prevent.  And 
what  is  more,  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love  of  self  conceals 
deeply  within  it  hatred  against  God,  consequently  against  the 
divine  things  of  the  church,  and  especially  against  the  Lord. 
If  persons  influenced  by  this  love  acknowledge  a  God,  they  do 
it  only  with  their  mouths ;  and  if  they  acknowledge  the  divine 
things  of  the  church,  they  do  it  only  for  fear  of  losing  credit. 
The  reason  why  this  love  inmostly  conceals  in  it  hatred  against 
the  Lord,  is,  because  it  is  the  inmost  tendency  of  it  to  desire 
to  be  a  god,  for  it  worships  and  adores  itself  alone  ;  hence  it  is, 
that  if  any  one  honours  it  so  much  as  to  say  that  it  has  divine 
wisdom,  and  is  the  deity  of  the  world,  it  loves  such  a  one  in  its 
heart.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for 
the  sake  of  uses ;  for  this  love  is  celestial,  because,  as  has  been 
observed,  it  is  the  same  with  the  love  of  our  neighbour.  By  uses 
are  meant  goods,  and  therefore  by  performing  uses,  is  meant 
doing  good  ;  and  by  doing  uses  or  good,  is  meant  serving  others 
and  ministering  to  them.  Those  who  do  so,  although  they  are 
in  dignity  and  opulence,  yet  respect  such  dignity  and  opulence 
only  as  means  of  performing  uses,  consequently  of  serving  and 
ministering.  These  are  those  who  are  meant  by  these  words  of 
the  Lord :  “  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be 
your  minister ;  and  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him 
be  your  servant”  (Matt.  xx.  26,  27).  These  also  are  those  to 
wdiom  dominion  in  heaven  is  entrusted  by  the  Lord ;  for  to 
them  dominion  is  the  means  of  performing  uses,  or  doing  good, 
consequently  of  serving;  and  when  uses  or  good  are  the  ends, 
or  objects  of  the  love,  then  it  is  not  they  who  have  dominion, 
but  the  Lord,  for  all  good  is  from  him.  Fourthly,  That  the 
difference  between  them  is  difficult  to  be  known,  is,  because  most 
of  those  who  are  in  dignity  and  opulence  also  perform  uses  ;  but 
it  is  not  known  whether  they  perform  them  for  the  sake  of  them¬ 
selves,  or  for  the  sake  of  the  uses ;  and  the  less  so,  because  in 
the  love  of  self  and  of  the  world,  there  is  more  of  the  fire  and 
ardour  of  performing  uses  than  in  those  who  are  not  in  the  love 
of  self  and  the  world.  The  former,  however,  perform  uses  for 
the  sake  of  fame  or  interest,  therefore  for  the  sake  of  them¬ 
selves  ;  but  those  who  perform  uses  for  the  sake  of  uses,  or  good 
for  the  sake  of  good,  do  not  perform  them  from  themselves,  but 
from  the  Lord.  The  difference  between  them  is  difficult  to  be 
known  by  a  man,  because  he  does  not  know  whether  he  is  led 
by  the  devil  or  the  Lord.  ITe  who  is  led  by  the  devil,  performs 
uses  for  the  sake  of  himself  and  the  world ;  but  he  who  is  led 
by  the  Lord,  does  it  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  and  of  heaven ; 
and  all  those  perform  uses  from  the  Lord  who  shun  evils  as  sins, 
while  all  those  perform  uses  from  the  devil  who  do  not  shun 
evils  as  sins ;  for  evil  is  the  devil,  and  use  or  good  is  the  L^rd 
136 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


215—217 


Hereby  and  no  otherwise  is  the  difference  known.  Both  in 
their  external  form  appear  alike,  but  in  their  internal  form  they 
are  totally  unlike.  One  is  like  gold  which  contains  within  it 
dross  ;  the  other  is  like  gold  which  is  within  pure  gold.  One 
also  is  like  artificial  fruit,  which  in  its  external  form  appears 
like  fruit  gathered  from  a  tree,  when  nevertheless  it  is  coloured 
wax,  which  has  within  it  dust  or  resin;  the  other  is  like  excel¬ 
lent  fruit,  delightful  to  the  taste  and  smell,  which  has  within  it 
seeds. 


216.  II.  That  eternal  things  relate  to  spiritual  honours  and 
riches ,  which  are  of  love  and  wisdom  in  heaven.  As  the  natural 
man  calls  the  delights  of  self-love,  which  are  also  the  delights 
of  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  goods,  and  also  confirms  himself 
in  the  notion  that  they  are  o-oods,  he  therefore  calls  honours 
and  riches  divine  blessings ;  but  when  this  natural  man  sees 
that  the  wicked,  as  well  as  the  good,  are  advanced  to  honours 
and  promoted  to  riches,  and  still  more  when  he  sees  that  the 
good  are  in  contempt  and  poverty,  and  the  wicked  in  glory 
and  opulence,  he  thinks  within  himself,  What  is  the  meaning 
of  this  ?  It  cannot  be  of  the  Divine  Providence,  for  if  the 
Divine  Providence  governed  all  things,  it  would  load  the  good 
with  honours  and  wealth,  and  afflict  the  wicked  with  poverty 
and  contempt,  and  thus  compel  the  wicked  to  acknowledge  that 
there  is  a  God  and  a  Divine  Providence.  But  the  natural  man, 
unless  illuminated  by  the  spiritual  man,  that  is,  unless  he  is  at 
the  same  time  spiritual,  does  not  see  that  honours  and  riches 
may  possibly  be  blessings,  and  that  possibly  also  they  may  be 
curses  ;  or,  that  when  they  are  blessings  they  are  from  God, 
and  when  they  are  curses  they  are  from  the  devil.  That  honours 
and  wealth  are  also  given  by  the  devil  is  known,  for  thence  he 
is  called  the  prince  of  this  world.  Now  since  it  is  not  known 
when  honours  and  riches  are  blessings,  and  when  they  are  curses, 
it  shall  therefore  be  shown,  in  this  order  :  1.  That  honours  and 
riches  are  blessings,  and  that  they  are  curses.  2.  That  honours 
and  riches,  when  they  are  blessings,  are  spiritual  and  eternal ; 
and  that  when  they  are  curses,  they  are  temporary  and  perish¬ 
ing.  3.  That  the  honours  and  riches  which  are  curses,  in  com¬ 
parison  with  those  which  are  blessings,  are  as  nothing  to  every 
thing,  or  as  that  which  does  not  exist  in  itself,  to  that  which 
does  exist  in  itself. 

217.  These  three  points  are  now  to  be  separately  illustrated. 
First,  That  honours  and  riches  are  blessings ,  and  that  they  are 
curses.  Common  experience  testifies,  that  the  pious  as  well  as 
the  impious,  or  the  just  as  well  as  the  unjust,  that  is,  the  good 
as  well  as  the  evil,  are  in  dignities  and  riches  ;  yet  it  cannot  be 
denied  by  any  one,  that  the  impious  and  unjust,  that  is,  the 
wicked,  go  to  hell,  and  the  pious  and  just,  that  is,  the  good, 
to  heaven.  This  being  true,  it  follows,  that  dignities  and  riches, 


217 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


or  honours  and  wealth,  are  either  blessings  or  curses  ;  and  that 
with  the  good  they  are  blessings,  and  with  the  wicked  curses.  In 
the  work  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell,  published  in  London 
in  the  year  175S,  n.  357 — 365,  it  is  shown,  that  in  heaven  and 
also  in  hell  there  are  rich  as  well  as  poor,  and  great  as  well  as 
little ;  from  which  it  is  evident,  that  dignities  and  riches,  with 
those  who  are  in  heaven,  were  in  this  world  blessings,  and, 
with  those  who  are  in  hell,  were  in  this  world  curses.  But 
whence  it  is  that  they  are  blessings,  and  whence  that  they  are 
curses,  every  one  may  know,  if  he  thinks  a  little  on  the  subject 
from  reason ;  namely,  that  they  are  blessings  with  those  who 
do  not  place  their  hearts  in  them,  and  that  they  are  curses  with 
those  who  do  place  their  hearts  in  them.  To  place  the  heart  in 
them,  is  to  love  self  in  them  ;  and  not  to  place  the  heart  in 
them,  is  to  love  uses  and  not  self  in  them.  The  nature  and 
quality  of  the  difference  between  these  two  loves,  was  explained 
above,  n.  215  ;  to  which  may  be  added,  that  dignities  and 
wealth  seduce  some,  and  do  not  seduce  others.  They  seduce, 
when  they  excite  the  loves  of  a  man’s  proprium,  which  is  the 
love  of  self;  and  that  this  is  the  love  of  hell,  which  is  called  the 
devil,  was  also  shown  above  ;  but  they  do  not  seduce,  when  they 
do  not  excite  that  love.  The  reason  why  the  wicked  as  well  as 
the  good  are  advanced  to  honours  and  promoted  to  wealth,  is, 
because  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good  perform  uses  ;  but  the 
wicked  do  so  for  the  sake  of  the  honour  and  interest  of  their 
own  persons,  and  the  good  for  the  sake  of  the  honour  and 
interest  of  the  thing  itself.  The  latter  respect  the  honour  and 
interest  of  the  thing  itself  as  principal  causes,  and  the  honour 
and  interest  of  their  own  persons  as  instrumental  causes ;  but 
the  wicked  respect  the  honour  and  interest  of  their  own  persons 
as  principal  causes,  and  the  honour  and  interest  of  the  thing 
itself  as  instrumental  causes.  Yet  who  does  not  see,  that  the 
person,  his  function,  and  honour,  are  for  the  sake  of  the  office 
which  lie  administers,  and  not  the  contrary  ?  Who  does  not 
see  that  a  judge  is  for  the  sake  of  justice,  a  magistrate  for  the 
sake  of  the  community,  and  a  king  for  the  sake  of  the  king¬ 
dom,  and  not  vice  versa  f  Therefore  also,  according  to  the 
laws  of  a  kingdom,  every  one  is  in  dignity  and  honour  suitable 
to  the  dignity  of  his  office  and  the  functions  belonging  to  it ; 
and  there  is  a  difference  between  them  like  that  which  exists 
between  what  is  principal  and  what  is  instrumental.  He  who 
attributes  the  honour  of  his  office  to  himself,  or  to  his  own  per¬ 
son,  appears  in  the  spiritual  world,  when  the  same  is  repre¬ 
sented,  like  a  man  with  his  body  inverted,  having  his  feet 
upward,  and  his  head  downward.  Secondly,  That  dignities 
and  riches ,  when  they  are  blessings ,  are  spiritual  and  eternal ,  and 
when  they  are  curses ,  are  temporary  and  pern  shin  g.  There  are 
dignities  and  riches  in  heaven  as  well  as  in  this  world  ;  for  there 
138 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


217 


are  governments  there,  consequently  administrations  and  func¬ 
tions,  and  there  are  also  commercial  dealings,  consequently 
riches,  because  there  are  societies  and  communities.  The  uni¬ 
versal  heaven  is  distinguished  into  two  kingdoms,  one  of  which 
is  called  the  celestial,  the  other  the  spiritual  kingdom,  and  each 
kingdom  into  innumerable  societies,  greater  and  smaller,  all 
which,  and  all  in  which,  are  disposed  in  order  according  to  the 
differences  of  love  and  the  wisdom  therefrom  derived  ;  the  so¬ 
cieties  of  the  celestial  kingdom  according  to  the  differences  of 
celestial  love,  which  is  love  to  the  Lord ;  and  the  societies  ot 
the  spiritual  kingdom  according  to  the  differences  of  spiritual 
love,  which  is  love  towards  their  neighbour.  As  there  are  such 
societies,  and  all  who  compose  them  have  been  men  in  the 
world,  consequently  retain  in  them  the  loves  in  which  they  were 
principled  in  the  world, — with  this  difference,  that  in  another 
world  they  are  spiritual,  and  that  the  dignities  and  riches  them¬ 
selves  are  spiritual  in  the  spiritual  kingdom,  and  celestial  in  the 
celestial  kingdom, — it  follows  as  a  consequence,  that  those  who 
have  greater  love  and  wisdom  than  others,  have  greater  dig- 
nities  and  riches  than  others,  and  these  are  those  to  whom 
dignities  and  riches  were  blessings  in  this  world.  Hence  may 
appear,  what  is  the  nature  of  spiritual  dignities  and  riches, 
namely,  that  they  belong  to  the  thing  and  not  to  the  person. 
Persons,  indeed,  who  are  in  dignity  in  heaven,  are  in  magnifi¬ 
cence  and  glory,  like  that  of  kings  upon  earth  ;  but  yet  they  do 
not  regard  the  dignity  itself  as  anv  thing,  but  the  uses,  in  the 
exercise  and  administration  of  which  they  are  engaged.  They 
receive  every  one  the  honours  of  his  dignity,  but  they  do  not 
attribute  them  to  themselves,  but  to  the  uses  :  and  as  all  uses 
are  from  the  Lord,  they  attribute  them  to  the  Lord,  from  whom 
they  are  derived.  Such  therefore  are  spiritual  dignities  and 
riches,  which  are  eternal.  But  it  is  otherwise  with  those  to 
whom  dignities  and  riches  in  this  world  were  curses.  These, 


since  they  attributed  them  to  themselves,  and  not  to  uses,  and 
since  thev  did  not  desire  that  uses  should  govern  them,  but  that 
they  should  govern  uses,  which  they  only  regarded  as  such  so 
far  as  they  were  subservient  to  their  own  honour  and  glory,  are 
therefore  in  hell,  where  they  are  vile  drudges  in  contempt  and 
misery ;  for  which  reason,  as  these  dignities  and  riches  perish, 
they  are  called  temporary  and  perishing.  Concerning  both  the 
latter  and  the  former  the  Lord  teaches  as  follows  :  “  Lay  not  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust  cor¬ 
rupt,  and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal :  but  lay  up 
for  vourselves  treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal . 
for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also'’ 
(Matt.  vi.  19,  20,  21).  Thirdly,  That  dignities  and  riches 
ich  are  curses ,  compared  with  those  which  are  blessings,  are  as 
139 


v:h 


217—219 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


nothing  to  every  thing ,  or  as  that  which  does  not  exist  in  itsdf \  to 
that  which  does  exist  in  itself.  Every  thing  which  perishes  and 
becomes  nothing  is  inwardly  in  itself  nothing  :  outwardly  indeed 
it  is  something,  and  even  appears  to  be  much,  and  to  some 
eT:ery  thing,  so  long  as  it  lasts,  but  in  itself  it  is  not.  It  is  like 
a  surface  within  which  there  is  not  any  thing ;  or  like  a  theatri¬ 
cal  performer  who  appears  in  a  king’s  apparel  only  till  the  play 
is  ended.  But  that  which  remains  to  eternity  is  in  itself  some- 
thing  perpetually,  therefore  every  thing ;  and  moreover  It  Is, 
because  it  does  not  cease  to  be. 

218.  III.  That  things  temporary  and  eternal  are  separated 
by  man ,  but  are  joined  by  the  Lord.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that 
all  things  appertaining  to  a  man  are  temporary,  from  which 
circumstance  a  man  may  be  called  temporary ;  and  all  things 
appertaining  to  the  Lord  are  eternal,  whence  the  Lord  is 
called  eternal.  Temporary  things  are  those  which  have  an  end 
and  perish,  but  eternal  things  are  those  which  have  no  end,  and 
do  not  perish.  That  these  two  cannot  be  joined  together,  except 
by  the  infinite  wisdom  of  the  Lord,  therefore  that  they  can  be 
joined  together  by  the  Lord,  and  not  by  man,  every  one  can 
see.  But  that  it  may  be  known,  that  these  two  are  separated 
by  a  man,  and  joined  by  the  Lord,  it  shall  be  demonstrated  in 
the  following  order.  1.  What  are  temporary  things  and  what 
eternal  things.  2.  That  a  man  is  in  himself  temporary  and  the 
Lord  is  in  himself  eternal ;  that  therefore  nothing  can  proceed 
from  a  man  but  what  is  temporary,  and  nothing  from  the  Lord 
but  what  is  eternal.  3.  That  temporary  things  separate  from 
themselves  eternal  things,  and  that  eternal  things  join  to  them¬ 
selves  temporary  things.  I.  That  the  Lord  joins  a  man  to  him¬ 
self  by  appearances.  5.  And  by  correspondences. 

219.  These  propositions  are  severally  to  be  illustrated  and 
confirmed  by  themselves.  First,  What  are  temporary  things , 
and  what  eternal  things.  Temporary  things  are  all  those  which 
are  proper  to  nature,  and  thence  proper  to  a  man.  Things 
proper  to  nature  are  especially  spaces  and  times,  both  subject 
to  limit  and  termination ;  and  the  things  which  are  thence 
proper  to  a  man,  are  those  of  his  proper  will  and  his  proper 
understanding,  wdfich  are  thence  of  his  affection  and  thought, 
especially  the  things  which  are  of  his  own  prudence;  which 
things,  it  is  well  known,  are  finite  and  limited.  But  things 
eternal  are  all  things  which  are  proper  to  the  Lord,  and  from 
him  are  as  it  were  proper  to  a  man.  Tilings  proper  to  the  Lord 
are  all  infinite  and  eternal,  therefore  without  time,  consecpiently 
without  limit  and  without  end.  The  things  which  are  thence 
as  it  were  proper  to  a  man,  are  in  like  manner  infinite  and 
eternal;  but  nothing  of  these  is  of  the  man,  but  of  the  Lord 
alone  in  him.  Secondly,  That  a  man  is  in  himself  temporary , 
and  the  Lord  is  in  himself  eternal  ’  that  therefore  nothing  can 

140 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


219 


proceed  from  a  man  but  what  is  temporary ,  and  nothing  from  the 
Lord  but  what  is  eternal .  That  a  man  is  in  himself  temporary, 
and  the  Lord  in  himself  eternal,  was  stated  above.  Since  nothing 
can  proceed  from  any  one  but  that  which  is  in  him,  it  fellows, 
that  nothing  can  proceed  from  a  man  but  what  is  temporary, 
and  nothing  from  the  Lord  but  what  is  eternal ;  for  infinite  can¬ 
not  proceed  from  finite,  and  to  suppose  that  it  can  is  a  con¬ 
tradiction;  nevertheless  infinite  can  proceed  from  finhe,  yet 
not  from  finite  itself,  but  from  infinite  through  it.  So,  on  the 
other  hand,  finite  cannot  proceed  from  infinite,  and  to  suppose 
this  is  also  a  contradiction :  yet  finite  can  be  produced  by  infinite, 
but  this  is  not  to  proceed,  but  to  be  created;  on  which  subject 
see  The  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Love  and 
the  Divine  Wisdom,  from  beginning  to  end.  Therefore  if 
finite  proceeds  from  the  Lord,  as  is  the  case  in  many  things 
with  a  man,  it  does  not  proceed  from  the  Lord,  but  from  the 
man  ;  and  it  may  be  said  to  proceed  from  the  Lord  through  the 
man,  because  it  so  appears.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  these 
words  of  the  Lord:  “  Let  your  communication  be,  Yea,  yea; 
bTav,  nay  ;  for  whatsoever  is  more  than  these,  cometli  of  evil” 
(Matt.  v.  37).  Such  is  the  communication  of  all  in  the  third 
heaven ;  for  they  never  reason  concerning  things  divine,  whether 
they  be  so  or  not,  but  see  in  themselves  from  the  Lord,  that 
thev  are  so  or  not  so.  Reasoning;  concerning’  things  divine, 
whether  they  be  so  or  not,  arises  from  the  reasoner’s  not  seeing 
them  from  the  Lord,  but  desiring  to  see  them  from  himself; 
and  that  which  a  man  sees  from  himself  is  evil.  But  yet  the 
Lord  wills,  not  only  that  a  man  should  think  and  speak  of  things 
divine,  but  also  reason  concerning  them,  to  the  end  that  lie  may 
see  that  they  are  so  or  not  so  ;  and  such  thought,  discourse,  or 

t  7  O  7  7 

reasoning,  provided  it  has  for  its  end  that  he  may  see  the  truth, 
may  be  said  to  be  from  the  Lord  in  him  ;  but  it  is  from  the  man, 
until  he  sees  truth,  and  acknowledges  it.  In  the  mean  time 
it  is  from  the  Lord  alone,  that  a  man  is  capable  of  thinking, 
speaking,  and  reasoning ;  for  this  he  can  do  by  virtue  of  his 
two  faculties  called  liberty  and  rationality,  which  he  possesses 
from  the  Lord  alone.  Thirdly,  That  temporary  things  sepa¬ 
rate  from  themselves  eternal  things ,  and  that  eternal  things  join 
to  themselves  temporary  things.  By  temporary  things  separating 
from  themselves  eternal  things,  is  meant,  that  a  man  who  is 
temporary  does  so  from  the  temporary  things  in  himself;  and 
by  eternal  things  joining  to  themselves  temporary  things,  is 
meant,  that  the  Lord  who  is  eternal,  does  so  from  the  eternal 
things  in  himself,  as  was  said  above.  In  the  preceding  pages  it 
was  shown,  that  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man, 
and  a  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  man  with  the  Lord  ;  yet  that 
the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  man  with  the  Lord  is  not  from 
the  man,  but  from  the  Lord ;  also  that  a  man’s  will  is  in  oppo- 
141 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


219,  220 

sition  to  tlie  Lord’s  will,  or,  what  amounts  to  the  same,  that  a 
man's  self-derived  prudence  is  in  opposition  to  the  Lord’s  Divine 
Providence  ;  from  which  considerations  it  follows,  that  a  man, 
from  his  own  temporary  things,  separates  from  himself  the 
eternal  things  of  the  Lord,  but  that  the  Lord  joins  eternal  things 
to  the  man’s  temporary  things,  that  is,  joins  himself  to  the  man 
and  the  man  to  himself.  As  this  subject  has  been  fully  treated 
of  before,  it  is  not  necessary  to  add  any  further  confirmation  of 
it.  Pourthlt,  That  the  Lord,  joins  a  man  to  himself  by  appear¬ 
ed  :  for  it  is  an  appearance  that  a  man  from  himself  loves 
his  neighbour,  does  good,  and  speaks  truth.  If  these  things 
were  not  to  appear  to  a  man  as  from  himself,  he  would  not  love 
his  neighbour,  or  do  good,  or  speak  truth,  therefore  would  not 
be  conjoined  to  the  Lord ;  but  as  love,  good,  and  truth  are  from 
the  Lord,  it  is  evident  that  the  Lord  joins  a  man  to  himself  by 
appearances.  This  appearance,  however,  and  the  conjunction 
of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  with  the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the 
man  with  the  Lord  thereby,  are  abundantly  treated  of  above. 
Fifthly,  That  the  Lord  joins  a  man  to  himself  by  correspondences. 
This  is  done  by  means  of  the  'Word,  the  literal  sense  of  which 
consists  of  mere  correspondences.  That  by  that  sense  there  is 
a  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  and  a  reciprocal  con¬ 
junction  of  the  man  with  the  Lord,  is  shown  in  The  Doctrine 
of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture, 
from  beornniim  to  end. 

220.  IV.  That  the  conjunction  of  things  temporary  and 
eternal  in  a  man  is  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord.  As  the 
subjects  involved  in  this  proposition  cannot  fall  within  the  first 
perception  of  the  understanding,  except  they  be  previously 
reduced  to  order,  and  unfolded  and  demonstrated  according  to 
it,  therefore  the  arrangement  of  them  shall  be  as  follows.  1. 
That  it  is  from  the  Divine  Providence,  that  a  man  by  death 
puts  off  things  natural  and  temporary,  and  puts  on  things 
spiritual  and  eternal.  2.  That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence  joins  himself  to  things  natural  by  things  spiritual,  and 
to  things  temporary  by  things  eternal,  according  to  uses.  3. 
That  the  Lord  joins  himself  to  uses  by  correspondences,  and  so 
by  appearances  according  to  confirmations  by  a  man.  I.  That 
such  conjunction  of  things  temporary  and  eternal  is  the  Divine 
Providence.  But  these  points  may  be  placed  in  a  clearer  light 
by  explanations.  First,  That  it  is  from  the  Divine  Providence , 
that  a  man  by  death  puts  off  things  natural  and  temporary ,  and 
puts  on  things  spiritual  and  eternal.  Things  natural  and  tem¬ 
porary  are  extremes  and  ultimates  (or  the  outermost  and  last  or 
lowest  things),  into  which  a  man  first  enters,  which  he  does 
when  he  is  born,  to  the  end  that  he  may  afterwards  be  introduced 
into  things  interior  and  superior ;  for  extremes  and  ultimates 
are  the  continents  (or  those  which  contain  or  keep  the  whole 
112 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


220 


together) ;  and  these  exist  in  the  natural  world.  Hence  it  is 
that  no  angel  or  spirit  was  immediately  created  such,  but  all 
were  first  born  men,  and  so  introduced:  therefore,  they  have 
extremes  and  ultimates,  which  in  themselves  are  fixed  and 
stated,  within  which  and  bv  which  their  interiors  can  be  retained 
in  their  state  of  connection.  A  man  first  puts  on  the  grosser 
substances  of  nature,  his  body  consisting  of  them  ;  but  these  he 
puts  off  by  death,  and  retains  the  purer  substances  of  nature, 
which  are  next  to  what  is  spiritual,  and  which  then  are  his  con¬ 
tinents.  Besides,  in  extremes  or  ultimates,  are  all  things 
interior  or  superior  together,  as  was  shown  before  in  its  proper 
place  ;  therefore  every  operation  of  the  Lord  is  from  primary 
and  ultimate  things  at  once,  consequently  in  full.  But  as  the 
extremes  and  ultimates  of  nature  cannot  receive  things  spiritual 
and  eternal,  for  which  the  human  mind  is  formed,  as  they  are 
in  themselves,  and  yet  a  man  is  born  that  he  may  be  made 
spiritual  and  live  to  eternity,  therefore  he  puts  them  off,  and 
retains  only  interior  natural  things,  which  are  convenient,  and 
accord  with  things  spiritual  and  celestial,  and  serve  them  as 
continents.  This  is  effected  by  the  rejection  of  temporary  and 
natural  ultimates,  which  is  the  death  of  the  body.  Secondly, 
That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  joins  himself  to  things 
natural  by  things  spiritual ,  and  to  things  temporary  by  things  eter¬ 
nal ,  according  to  uses.  Aatural  and  temporary  things  are  not 
only  those  which  are  proper  to  nature,  but  also  those  which  are 
proper  to  men  in  the  natural  world.  Both  these  a  man  puts  off 
by  death,  and  puts  on  things  spiritual  and  eternal  correspond¬ 
ing  to  them.  That  he  puts  on  these  according  to  uses,  is 
fully  shown  in  the  foregoing  pages.  The  natural  things  which 
are  proper  to  nature,  relate  in  general  to  time  and  space,  and  in 
particular  to  the  objects  which  are  seen  upon  earth.  These  a 
man  relinquishes  by  death,  and  in  place  of  them  receives  things 
spiritual,  which  are  similar  as  to  their  outward  aspect  or  appear¬ 
ance,  but  not  as  to  their  internal  quality  and  essence  ;  which 
subject  also  is  treated  of  above.  The  temporary  things  which 
are  proper  to  men  in  the  natural  world,  relate  in  general  to  dig 
nities  and  riches,  and  in  particular  to  the  necessities  of  each  in 
dividual,  which  are  food,  clothing,  and  habitation.  These  also 
are  put  away  and  left  by  death,  and  those  things  put  on  and 
received  which  are  similar  to  them  as  to  their  outward  aspect  or 
appearance,  but  not  as  to  their  internal  quality  and  essence. 
All  these  derive  their  internal  quality  and  essence  from  the  uses 
of  things  temporary  in  the  world ;  and  uses  are  the  goods  which 
are  called  goods  of  charity.  TIence  it  may  appear,  that  to 
things  natural  and  temporary  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  joins  things  spiritual  and  eternal,  according  to  uses. 
Thirdly,  That  the  Lord  joins  himself  to  uses  by  correspondences , 
and  so  by  appearances  according  to  the  confirmations  of  them  by  a 
ld3 


220 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


man.  As  this  point  cannot  but  seem  obscure  to  those  who  have 
not  yet  acquired  a  clear  notion  respecting  the  nature  of  cor¬ 
respondence  and  appearance,  it  must  be  illustrated  by  exam¬ 
ple  and  thus  explained.  All  things  in  the  Word  are  mere 
correspondences  of  things  spiritual  and  celestial,  and,  because 
they  are  correspondences,  they  are  also  appearances  ;  that  is, 
all  things  in  the  Word  are  divine  goods  of  the  divine  love,  and 
divine  truths  of  the  divine  wisdom,  which  are  naked  in  them¬ 
selves,  but  clothed  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word;  therefore 
they  appear  like  a  man  invested  with  a  garment  corresponding 
to  the  state  of  his  love  and  wisdom ;  from  which  it  is  evident 
that  if  a  man  confirms  in  himself  appearances,  it  is  just  as  if 
he  were  to  believe  that  garments  are  men.  Thus,  appearances 
become  fallacies.  It  is  otherwise  if  a  man  searches  after  tntths, 
and  sees  them  in  appearances.  How  as  all  the  uses,  or  truths 
and  goods  of  charity,  which  a  man  does  to  his  neighbour,  he 
does  either  according  to  appearances  or  according  to  the  truths 
themselves  in  the  Word,  if  he  establishes  the  confirmation  of 
them  in  himself  according  to  appearances,  he  is  in  fallacies, 
but  if  according  to  truths,  he  does  as  he  ought  to  do.  Hence 
it  may  appear,  what  is  meant  by  the  Lord’s  joining  himself  to 
uses  by  correspondences,  and  so  by  appearances,  according  to 
the  confirmations  of  them  by  a  man.  Fourthly,  That  such 
conjunction  of  things  temporary  and  eternal  is  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence.  That  this  may  be  presented  to  the  understanding  in 
some  degree  of  light,  it  is  expedient  to  illustrate  it  by  two 
examples, — by  one  which  concerns  dignities  and  honours, and  by 
another  which  concerns  riches  and  possessions.  Both  these  in 
their  external  form  are  natural  and  temporary,  but  in  their 
internal  form  spiritual  and  eternal.  Dignities  with  their  honours 
are  natural  and  temjDorary,  when  a  man  has  respect  to  himself 
jiersonally  in  them,  and  not  to  the  state  and  uses  ;  for  then  he 
cannot  but  think  interiorly  with  himself,  that  the  state  is  for 
the  sake  of  him,  and  not  he  for  the  state.  He  is  like  a  king 
who  thinks  that  his  kingdom  and  all  the  people  in  it  are  for 
him,  and  not  he  for  the  kingdom  and  the  people  of  wdiicli  it 
consists.  But  the  same  dignities  with  their  honours  are  spiritual 
and  eternal,  when  a  man  considers  himself  personally  as  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  state  and  to  uses,  and  not  them  to  him.  If  he 
does  this,  he  is  in  the  truth  and  in  the  essence  of  his  dignity 
and  honour,  but  if  the  other,  then  he  is  in  correspondence  and 
appearance,  which  if  he  confirms  in  himself,  he  is  in  fallacies, 
and  no  otherwise  in  conjunction  with  the  Lord  than  as  those 
who  are  in  falsities  and  evils  derived  therefrom  ;  for  fallacies  are 
falsities  with  which  evils  join  themselves.  Such  persons  do 
indeed  perform  uses  and  do  good ;  but  it  is  from  themselves, 
and  not  from  the  Lord ;  therefore,  they  put  themselves  in  the 
place  of  the  Lord.  It  is  the  same  with  regard  to  riches  and 
144 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


220,  221 

possessions,  winch  also  are  natural  and  temporary,  as  well  as 
spiritual  and  eternal.  Riches  and  possessions  are  natural  and 
temporary  with  those  who  have  respect  to  them  alone,  and  to 
themselves  in  them,  and  in  these  two  place  all  their  pleasure 
and  delight ;  but  they  are  spiritual  and  eternal  with  those  who 
have  respect  to  good  uses  in  them,  and  have  in  these  an  interior 
pleasure  and  delight.  With  the  latter,  the  exterior  pleasure  and 
delight  also  is  made  spiritual,  and  the  temporary  is  made  eternal ; 
therefore  also  after  death  they  dwell  in  heaven,  and  in  palaces 
there,  the  utensils  of  which  are  resplendent  with  gold  and  pre¬ 
cious  stones  ;  but  these  nevertheless  they  regard  no  otherwise 
than  as  externals  deriving  their  splendour  and  transparency  from 
internals,  which  are  uses,  and  from  them  they  have  essential 
pleasure  and  delight,  which  in  themselves  are  the  bliss  and  hap¬ 
piness  of  heaven.  A  contrary  lot  falls  to  those  who  have  had 
respect  to  riches  and  possessions  solely  for  their  own  sake  and 
for  the  sake  of  self,  therefore  for  the  sake  of  externals  and  not 
at  the  same  time  of  internals,  consequently  according  to  appear¬ 
ances  and  not  according  to  their  essences.  Such  persons,  when 
they  put  off  these  things,  as  is  the  case  when  they  die,  put  on 
the  internals  thereof,  which,  since  they  are  not  spiritual,  cannot 
be  otherwise  than  infernal ;  for  either  the  one  or  the  other  prin¬ 
ciple  is  in  them,  as  both  cannot  be  there  together.  Hence, 
instead  of  riches  they  experience  poverty,  and,  instead  of  pos¬ 
sessions,  misery.  By  uses  are  meant,  not  only  the  necessaries 
of  life,  which  relate  to  food,  clothing,  and  habitation  for  a  man 
and  his  family,  but  also  the  good  of  his  country,  of  society, 
and  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Such  a  good  is  commerce,  when  the 
love  of  it  is  the  end,  and  that  of  money  the  means  subservient, 
provided  the  merchant  shuns  and  avoids  frauds  and  evil  arts  as 
sins  ;  but  not  so  when  the  love  of  money  is  the  end,  and  that 
of  commerce  the  means  subservient  to  it ;  for  this  is  avarice, 
which  is  the  root  of  all  evils,  as  may  be  seen  in  Luke  xii.  15, 
and  the  parable  concerning  it,  verse  16 — 21. 


that  a  man  is  not  admitted  interiorly  into  the  truths 

OF  FAITH  AND  THE  GOODS  OF  CHARITY,  EXCEPT  SO  FAR  AS 
HE  CAN  BE  KEPT  IN  THEM  TO  THE  END  OF  LIFE. 


221.  It  is  well  known  in  the  Christian  world,  that  the  Lord 
wills  the  salvation  of  all,  and  also  that  he  is  omnipotent ;  there¬ 
fore  many  thence  conclude,  that  he  is  able  to  save  every  one, 
and  doe3  save  those  who  implore  his  mercy,  especially  those 

145 


221,  222 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


who  implore  it  by  the  received  form  of  faith, — that  God  fho 
Father  would  have  mercy  for  the  sake  of  his  Son, — particularly 
if,  at  the  same  time,  they  pray  that  they  may  receive  that  faith. 
That  the  case  is  altogether  different,  however,  will  be  seen  in 
the  last  article  of  this  treatise,  where  it  will  be  explained,  that 
the  Lord  cannot  act  against  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence, 
because  to  act  against  them  would  be  to  act  against  his  divine 
i  :,ve  and  his  divine  wisdom,  consequently  against  himself ;  and 
wnere  also  it  will  be  seen,  that  such  immediate  mercy  is  not 
possible,  because  man’s  salvation  is  effected  by  means,  according 
to  which  no  one  can  lead  a  man,  but  He  who  wills  the  salvation 
of  all,  and  is,  at  the  same  time,  omnipotent,  consequently  the 
Lord.  The  means  by  which  a  man  is  led  by  the  Lord,  are  what 
are  called  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence,  among  which  is 
this,  that  a  man  is  not  admitted  interiorly  into  the  truths  of 
wisdom  and  the  goods  of  love,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept 
in  them  to  the  end  of  life.  But  that  this  may  be  evident  to 
reason,  it  shall  be  explained  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  a 
man  may  be  admitted  into  the  wisdom  of  spiritual  things,  and 
also  into  the  love  of  them,  and  yet  not  be  reformed.  II.  That 
if  a  man  afterwards  recedes  from  them,  and  runs  counter  to 
them,  he  profanes  what  is  sacred.  III.  That  there  are  several 
kinds  of  profanation,  but  that  this  kind  is  the  worst  of  all. 
IV.  That  therefore  the  Lord  does  not  admit  a  man  interiorly 
into  the  truths  of  wisdom,  and  at  the  same  time  into  the  goods 
of  love,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept  in  them  to  the  end 
of  life. 

222.  I.  That  a  man  may  be  admitted  into  the  wisdom  of 
spiritual  things ,  and  also  into  the  love  of  them ,  and  yet  not  be 
reformed.  The  reason  is,  because  a  man  has  rationality  and 
liberty.  By  rationality  he  can  be  elevated  into  wisdom  almost 
angelic,  and  by  liberty  into  a  love  not  unlike  angelic  love  ; 
nevertheless,  such  as  is  the  love,  such  is  the  wisdom  :  if  the 
love  is  celestial  and  spiritual,  the  wisdom  also  becomes  celestial 
and  spiritual ;  but  if  the  love  is  diabolical  and  infernal,  the  wis¬ 
dom  also  is  diabolical  and  infernal.  The  latter,  indeed,  may 
then  appear  in  its  external  form,  and  consequently  before  others, 
as  celestial  and  spiritual ;  but  in  its  internal  form,  which  is  its 
very  essence,  it  is  diabolical  and  infernal,  not  outwardly  but 
inwardly.  That  it  is  such,  does  not  appear  to  men,  because 
they  are  natural,  and  see  and  hear  naturally,  and  the  external 
form  is  natural ;  but  it  does  so  appear  to  angels,  because  they 
are  spiritual,  and  the  internal  form  is  spiritual.  Hence  it  is 
evident,  that  a  man  might  be  admitted  into  the  wisdom  of 
spiritual  things,  and  also  into  the  love  of  them,  and  yet  not  be 
reformed ;  but  in  this  case  only  into  the  natural,  and  not  into 
the  spiritual  love  of  them.  The  reason  is,  because  a  man  can 
admit  himself  into  natural  love,  but  the  Lord  alone  can  admit 
146 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


222—224 


him  into  spiritual  love :  and  those  who  are  admitted  into  the 
latter  are  reformed,  but  those  who  are  only  admitted  into  the 
former  are  not  reformed ;  for  these  last  are  for  the  most  part 
hypocrites,  and  many  of  them  of  the  order  of  Jesuits,  who 
interiorly  do  not  believe  any  thing  divine,  hut  exteriorly  play 
with  divine  things  after  the  manner  of  soothsayers. 

223.  By  much  experience  in  the  spiritual  world  it  has  been 
made  known  to  me,  that  a  man  possesses  in  himself  the  faculty 
of  understanding  the  arcana  of  wisdom,  like  the  angels  them¬ 
selves  ;  for  I  have  seen  fiery  devils,  who,  when  they  heard  arcana 
of  wisdom,  not  only  understood  them,  but  also  spoke  them 
from  their  own  rationality  :  as  soon  however  as  they  returned  to 
their  diabolical  love,  they  did  not  understand  them,  but  instead 
of  them  things  contrary  thereto,  which  were  insanities,  and 
which  they  then  called  wisdom.  It  has  even  been  permitted 
me  to  hear  that  when  they  were  in  a  state  of  wisdom,  they 
laughed  at  their  own  insanity,  and  when  they  were  in  a  state  of 
insanity,  they  laughed  at  wisdom.  A  man  who  has  been  such 
in  this  world,  when  after  death  he  becomes  a  spirit,  is  generally 
admitted  into  alternate  states  of  wisdom  and  insanity,  that  he 
may  distinguish  the  one  from  the  other.  But  although  from 
wisdom  they  see  their  insanity,  yet  when  their  option  is  given 
them,  as  it  is  to  every  one,  they  put  themselves  into  a  state  of 
insanity,  love  it,  and  then  hate  a  state  of  wisdom  :  the  reason 
of  which  is,  that  their  internal  was  diabolical,  and  their  external 
as  if  it  were  divine.  These  are  those  who  are  meant  by  devils 
who  pretend  to  be  angels  of  light ;  and  by  him,  who  at  the  mar¬ 
riage  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment,  and  was  cast  into  outer 
darkness,  Matt.  xxii.  11,  12,  13. 


221.  Who  cannot  see,  that  it  is  the  internal  from  which  the 
external  exists ;  consequently,  that  the  latter  has  its  essence 
from  the  former  ?  And  who  does  not  know  by  experience,  that 
the  external  is  able  to  appear  otherwise  than  according  to  its 
essence  from  the  internal  ?  This  is  manifestly  the  case  with 
hypocrites,  flatterers,  and  dissemblers.  And  that  a  man  can 
assume  a  character  not  his  own  in  externals,  is  evident  from 
players  and  mimics ;  for  they  can  represent  kings,  emperors, 
and  even  angels,  in  their  tone  of  voice,  speech,  face,  and  ges¬ 
ture,  as  though  they  were  really  such ;  when  nevertheless  they 
are  nothing  but  imitators.  These  observations  are  made,  be¬ 
cause  a  man  in  a  similar  manner  can  act  the  sycophant  in  mat¬ 
ters  of  a  civil  and  moral  nature  as  in  those  of  a  spiritual  nature  ; 
and  it  is  well  known,  also,  that  many  do  so.  As,  therefore, 
the  internal  in  its  essence  is  infernal,  and  the  external  in  its 
form  appears  spiritual,  when  nevertheless  the  external  derives 
its  essence  from  the  internal,  as  before  observed,  it  may  be 
asked  where  that  essence  lies  concealed  in  the  external.  It  does 
not  appear  in  the  gesture,  in  the  tone  of  voice,  in  the  speech, 

1J7  K 


224—226 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


or  in  tlie  face ;  but  yet  it  lies  concealed  interiorly  in  all  the  four 
That  it  lies  interiorly  concealed  in  them,  is  evident  from  the 
case  ot  such  persons  in  the  spiritual  world ;  for  when  a  man 
goes  out  of  the  natural  into  the  spiritual  world,  which  he  does 
when  he  dies,  he  leaves  his  externals  with  his  body,  and  retains 
his  internals  which  he  had  treasured  up  in  his  spirit;  and  then, 
if  his  internal  was  infernal,  he  appears  a  devil,  such  also  as  he 
had  been  as  to  his  spirit  when  he  lived  in  the  world.  Who  does 
not  acknowledge,  that  every  man  leaves  externals  with  his  body, 
and  enters  into  internals  when  he  becomes  a  spirit?  To  this  I 
may  add,  that  in  the  spiritual  world  there  is  a  communication 
between  the  affections  and  the  thoughts  derived  from  them, 
whence  no  one  can  speak  otherwise  than  as  he  thinks  ;  also, 
that  every  one  there  changes  his  face,  and  becomes  like  his 
affection,  so  that  it  is  apparent  what  he  is  from  his  face  also. 
Hypocrites  are  sometimes  permitted  to  speak  otherwise  than  as 
they  think ;  but  the  sound  of  their  voice  is  altogether  discordant 
to  the  interiors  of  their  thoughts,  and  from  such  discordance 
they  are  discovered.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  the  internal 
lies  concealed  interiorly  in  the  tone,  speech,  face,  and  external 
gesture ;  and  that  this  is  not  perceived  by  men  in  the  natural 
world,  but  manifestly  by  angels  in  the  spiritual  world. 

225.  From  these  considerations,  then,  it  is  evident,  that 
a  man,  so  long  as  he  lives  in  the  natural  world,  can  be  admit¬ 
ted  into  the  wisdom  of  spiritual  things,  and  also  into  the  love 
of  them ;  and  that  this  may  and  can  be  done,  with  those  who 
are  merely  natural,  as  well  as  with  those  who  are  spiritual ;  yet 
with  this  difference,  that  the  latter  are  reformed  by  them, 
but  the  former  are  not.  It  may  also  appear  as  if  the  merely 
natural  loved  wisdom ;  but  they  love  it  no  otherwise  than  as 
an  adulterer  loves  a  noble  courtesan,  with  whom  he  speaks 
flatteringly,  to  whom  he  presents  rich  garments,  and  of  whom, 
nevertheless,  he  thinks  with  himself  at  home,  that  she  is  nothing 
but  a  vile  whore,  whom  I  will  make  believe  that  I  love  her, 
because  she  favours  my  lust ;  but  if  she  does  not  favour  it,  I  will 
reject  her.  His  internal  man  is  this  adulterer,- and  his  external 
man  is  this  woman. 

226.  II.  That  if  a  man  afterwards  recedes  from  them ,  and 
runs  counter  to  them ,  he  jprofanes  what  is  holy.  There  are 
several  kinds  of  profanation  of  what  is  holy,  which  will  be 
noticed  in  the  following  article  :  but  this  kind  is  the  most  griev¬ 
ous  of  all ;  for  those  who  are  profaners  of  this  kind,  become  after 
death  no  longer  men.  They  live  indeed,  but  continually  in  a 
fantastical  delirium,  and  appearing  to  themselves  to  be  flying 
on  high,  and  when  they  are  still  they  play  with  fantasies,  which 
seem  to  them  as  things  real ;  and  as  they  are  no  longer  men, 
they  are  not  called  he  and  she,  but  it :  even  when  they  are  seen 
in  the  light  of  heaven,  they  appear  like  skeletons,  some  like 

148 


THE  DIVINE  EEOVIDENCE. 


226,  227 


skeletons  of  a  bony  colour,  some  fiery,  and  some  dry.  That  those 
who  are  guilty  of  this  kind  of  profanation  become  such  after 
death,  is  not  known  in  the  world ;  and  it  is  not  known  because 
the  cause  of  it  is  not  known.  The  cause  of  it  is,  that  when  a 
man  first  acknowledges  divine  things,  and  believes  them,  and 
afterwards  recedes  and  denies  them,  he  then  mixes  holy  with 
profane  things ;  which,  when  mixed,  cannot  be  separated  other¬ 
wise  than  by  the  destruction  of  the  whole.  But  that  this  may 
be  more  clearly  perceived,  it  shall  be  explained  in  the  following 
order :  1.  That  whatever  a  man  thinks,  speaks,  and  does  from 
his  will,  is  appropriated  to  him  and  remains, — as  well  good  as 
evil.  2.  That  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  continually 
provides  and  disposes,  that  evil  may  be  by  itself,  and  good  by 
itself,  so  that  they  may  be  separated.  3.  That  this  cannot  be 
done,  if  a  man  first  acknowledges  the  truths  of  faith,  and  lives 
according  to  them,  and  afterwards  recedes  from  and  denies  them. 
L  That  he  then  mixes  good  and  evil  in  such  a  manner  that  they 
cannot  be  separated.  5.  And  as  good  and  evil  with  every  man 
are  to  be  separated,  and  in  such  a  one  cannot  be  separated, 
therefore  he  is  destroyed  as  to  every  thing  truly  human. 

227.  These  are  the  causes  why  a  thing  so  enormous  exists ; 
but  as  these  causes  are  in  obscurity  from  ignorance  respecting 
them,  they  shall  be  explained,  in  order  that  they  may  be  evident 
to  the  understanding.  F ikst,  That  whatever  a  man  thinks ,  speaks , 
and  does  f  rom  his  will,  is  appropriated  to  him  and  remains , 
-—as  well  good  as  evil.  This  was  shown  above,  n.  78 — 81. 
For  a  man  has  an  external  or  natural  memory,  and  an  internal 
or  spiritual  memory :  in  the  latter  is  inscribed  every  thing  that 
he  had  thought,  spoken,  and  done  from  his  will  in  the  world, 
and  that  so  perfectly  as  to  every  particular,  that  no  one  thing 
is  wanting.  This  memory  is  the  book  of  his  life,  which  after 
death  is  opened,  and  according  to  which  he  is  judged.  Con¬ 
cerning  this  memory  more  is  adduced  from  my  own  experience, 
in  the  work  On  Heaven  and  Hell,  n.  461 — 465.  Secondly,  But 
that  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  continually  provides 
and  disposes ,  that  evil  may  he  by  itself  and  good  by  itself, \  so  that 
they  may  he  separated.  Every  man  is  both  in  evil  and  in  good ; 
for  he  is  in  evil  from  himself,  and  in  good  from  the  Lord :  and 
he  cannot  live  unless  he  is  in  both.  For  if  he  were  in  himself 
alone,  and  so  in  evil  only,  he  would  not  have  any  life :  nor  if 
he  were  in  the  Lord  alone,  and  so  in  good  only,  would  he  have 
any  life ;  for  a  man  in  the  latter  kind  of  life  would  be  as  it  were 
suifocated,  continually  gasping  for  breath,  or  like  one  in  the 
agonies  of  death ;  and  in  the  former  kind  of  life  he  would  be 
extinct,  for  evil  without  any  good  is  in  itself  dead ;  therefore 
every  man  is  in  both.  But  the  difference  is,  that  one  is  in- 
tenorly  in  the  Lord,  and  exteriorly  as  if  in  himself;  while  the 
other  is  interiorly  in  himself,  but  exteriorly  as  if  in  the  Lord 
149 


227 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


The  latter  is  in  evil,  and  the  former  in  good,  yet  each  is  in  both 
good  and  evil.  The  reason  why  this  is  also  the  case  with  a 
wicked  man,  is,  because  he  is  in  the  good  of  civil  and  moral 
life,  and  also  exteriorly  in  some  good  of  spiritual  life ;  and  is 
kept  besides  in  rationality  and  liberty  by  the  Lord,  in  order  that 
he  may  have  the  power  of  being  in  good :  this  is  the  good  by 
which  every  man,  even  the  wicked,  is  led  of  the  Lord.  From 
these  considerations  it  may  be  seen,  that  the  Lord  separates  evil 
and  good,  that  the  one  may  be  interior  and  the  other  exterior, 
and  so  provides  that  they  may  not  be  mixed.  Thirdly,  But 
that  this  cannot  be  done ,  if  a  man  first  acknowledges  the  truths 
of  faith,  and  lives  according  to  them ,  and  afterwards  recedes  and 
denies  tliem.  This  is  evident  from  what  has  now  been  said  ;  first, 
that  every  thing  which  a  man  thinks,  speaks,  and  does  from  the 
will,  is  appropriated  to  him  and  remains ;  and,  secondly,  that 
the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence  continually  provides,  and  so 
disposes  things,  that  good  may  be  by  itself,  and  evil  by  itself, 
and  that  they  may  be  separated.  Moreover,  they  are  separated 
by  the  Lord  after  death :  from  those  who  are  interiorly  evil  and 
exteriorly  good,  the  good  is  taken  away,  and  they  are  thus 
left  in  their  evil ;  but  the  case  is  reversed  with  those  who  are 
interiorly  good,  and  exteriorly  like  other  men  have  acquired 
wealth,  sought  after  dignities,  been  delighted  with  various 
worldly  things,  and  have  favoured  some  concupiscences;  for  in 
these,  nevertheless,  good  and  evil  are  not  mixed,  but  separate, 
as  internal  and  external;  thus  in  their  external  form  they  have 
been,  in  many  respects,  like  the  wicked,  yet  not  in  their  internal 
form.  So,  also,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  wicked  who,  in  their 
external  form,  have  appeared  like  the  good,  in  regard  to  piety, 
divine  worship,  words,  and  actions,  and  yet,  in  their  internal 
form,  have  been  wicked,  the  evil  is  separated  from  the  good. 
But  in  those  who  have  first  acknowledged  the  truths  of  faith, 
and  lived  according  to  them,  and  afterwards  have  run  counter, 
and  rejected  them,  especially  if  they  have  denied  them,  goods 
and  evils  are  no  longer  separated,  but  mixed  together ;  for  such 
a  man  has  appropriated  to  himself  good,  and  has  also  appro¬ 
priated  to  himself  evil,  and  so  has  joined  and  mixed  them. 
Fourthly,  That  in  this  case  he  mixes  good  and  evil  in  such 
a  manner  that  they  cannot  be  separated,  follows  from  what 
has  just  now  been  said ;  and  if  evil  cannot  be  separated  from 
good,  and  good  from  evil,  he  can  neither  be  in  heaven  nor  in 
liell.  Every  man  must  be  either  in  one  or  the  other ;  he  cannot 
be  in  both;  for  in  that  case  he  would  be  one  while  in  heaven, 
and  another  while  in  hell ;  when  in  heaven  he  would  act  in  fa¬ 
vour  of  hell,  and  when  in  hell  he  would  act  in  favour  of  heaven, 
and  so  destroy  the  life  of  all  who  were  about  him, — the  celestial 
life  in  the  angels,  and  the  infernal  life  in  the  devils, — whereby 
the  life  of  every  one  would  perish  ;  for  the  life  of  every  one  must 
150 


THE  -DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


227,  228 


be  liis  own,  no  one  living  in  a  life  foreign  to  his  own,  still  less 
in  one  that  is  opposite.  Hence  it  is,  that  in  every  one  after  death, 
when  he  becomes  a  spirit  or  a  spiritual  man,  the  Lord  separates 
good  from  evil  and  evil  from  good, — good  from  evil  in  those  who 
are  interiorly  in  evil,  and  evil  from  good  in  those  who  are  interiorly 
in  good;  which  is  according  to  his  own  words :  “  Whosoever 
hath,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abundance  ; 
but  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even 
what  he  hath”  (Matt.  xiii.  12  ;  xxv.  29  ;  Mark  iv.  25  ;  Luke  viii. 
IS ;  xix.  26).  Fifthly,  As  good  and  evil  in  every  man  are  to  be 
separated,  and  in  such  a  one  cannot  be  separated,  therefore  he  is 
destroyed  as  to  every  thing  truly  human.  What  is  truly  human 
every  one  has  from  rationality,  so  that  if  he  will,  he  can  see 
and  know  what  is  trite  and  what  is  good,  and  as  was  shown 
before,  can  also  will,  think,  speak,  and  do  good  from  liberty  ; 
but  this  liberty  with  its  rationality  is  destroyed  in  those  who 
have  mixed  good  and  evil  in  themselves  ;  tor  they  cannot  trom 
good  see  evil,  or  from  evil  know  good,  because  they  make  one : 
they  have  therefore  no  longer  the  faculty  or  power  of  rationality, 
nor  consequently  have  they  any  liberty.  This  is  the  reason 
why,  as  was  said  above,  they  are  as  mere  fantastical  delirious 
beings  and  no  longer  appear  as  men,  but  like  bones  covered 
with  skin,  and  therefore  when  they  are  named,  they  are  not 
called  he  or  she,  but  it.  Such  is  the  lot  of  those  who  in  this 
manner  mix  things  holy  with  profane  :  but  there  are  several 
kinds  of  profanation,  which  are  not  of  this  nature,  to  be  noticed 
in  the  subsequent  article. 

228.  No  man  thus  profanes  things  holy  who  does  not  know 
them  ;  for  he  who  does  not  know  them,  cannot  acknowledge 
them,  and  afterwards  deny  them :  those  therefore  who  are 
without  the  Christian  world,  and  do  not  know  any  thing  of  the 
Lord,  and  of  redemption  and  salvation  by  him,  do  not  profane 
the  holiness  thereof,  when  they  do  not  receive  it,  or  even  when 
they  speak  against  it.  Neither  do  the  Jews  themselves  profane 
it ;  because  from  their  infancy  they  have  refused  to  receive  and 
acknowledge  it.  It  would  be  otherwise  if  they  received  and 
acknowledged,  and  afterwards  denied  it,  which  however  is  very 
rare  ;  for  many  of  them  acknowledge  it  exteriorly  and  deny  it 
interiorly,  being  like  hypocrites.  Those  however  profane  things 
holy,  by  mixing  them  with  what  is  profane,  who  first  receive 
and  acknowledge  them,  and  afterwards  depart  from  them  and 
deny  them.  Their  receiving;  and  acknowledging;  them  in  their 

«/  _  #  O 

miancy  and  childhood  is  of  no  account,  for  this  all  Christians 
do,  because  at  that  age  they  do  not  receive  and  acknowledge 
the  things  which  are  of  faith  and  charity  from  any  rationality 
and  liberty,  that  is,  in  the  understanding  from  the  will^  but 
only  from  memory  and  the  authority  of  masters  :  and  if  they 
live  according  to  them,  it  is  out  of  blind  obedience ;  but  if, 

j  j  1 

151 


228—230 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


when  a  man  comes  into  the  use  of  his  rationality  and  liberty, 
which  he  does  successively  as  he  grows  up,  he  then  acknowledges 
truths  and  lives  according  to  them,  and  afterwards  denies  them, 
lie  mixes  things  holy  and  profane,  and  instead  of  a  man,  becomes 
such  a  monster  as  was  described  above.  If  a  man  is  in  evil, 
however,  from  the  time  he  becomes  possessed  of  rationality 
and  liberty,  that  is,  from  the  time  he  begins  to  think  for 
himself,  even  to  the  period  of  youth,  and  afterwards  acknow¬ 
ledges  the  truths  of  faith  and  lives  according  to  them,  provided 
he  then  abides  in  them  to  his  life’s  end,  he  does  not  mix  them ; 
for  the  Lord  then  separates  the  evils  of  his  former  life  from  the 
goods  of  his  latter  life :  this  is  the  case  with  all  who  repent. 
But  of  this  more  in  what  follows. 

229.  III.  That  there  are  several  kin  ds  of prof dilation  of  what 
is  holy ,  and  that  this  kind  is  the  worst  of  all.  In  the  most 
common  or  general  sense,  by  profanation  is  meant  all  impiety, 
therefore  by  profaners  are  meant  all  impious  persons,  who  in 
their  hearts  deny  God,  the  sanctity  of  the  Word,  and  conse- 
quently  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  which  are  sanctity 
itself,  and  concerning  which  they  also  speak  impiously.  Of 
such  profaners,  however,  we  are  not  here  treating,  but  of  those 
who  profess  to  believe  in  Gcd,  who  maintain  the  sanctity  of  the 
Word,  and  who  acknowledge  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church, 
and  yet  do  this  for  the  most  part  with  their  mouths  only.  The 
reason  why  these  are  guilty  of  profanation,  is,  because  what  is 
holy  from  the  Word  is  in  and  with  them,  and  this,  which  is  in 
them  and  which  constitutes  some  part  of  their  understanding 
and  will,  they  profane ;  but  in  the  impious,  who  deny  the 
Divine  Being  and  all  things  divine,  there  is  nothing  holy  for 
them  to  profane.  They  are  profaners  indeed,  but  are  not  the 
profane. 

230.  Die  profanation  of  what  is  holy  is  meant  in  the  second 
commandment  of  the  Decalogue,  by,  Thou  shalt  not  profane 
the  name  of  thy  God  ;  and  that  it  ought  not  to  be  profaned 
is  meant  in  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  by,  Hallowed  be  thy  LTame. 
What  is  understood  by  the  name  of  God,  is  scarcely  known  by 
any  in  the  Christian  world;  the  reason  of  which  is,  because  it 
is  not  known  that  in  the  spiritual  world  there  are  not  names 
as  in  the  natural  world,  but  that  every  one  is  named  according 
to  the  quality  of  his  love  and  wisdom ;  for  as  soon  as  any  one 
comes  into  society  or  association  with  others,  he  is  immediately 
named  according  to  his  quality  there.  He  is  named  by  spiritual 
language,  which  is  such,  that  it  can  give  a  name  to  every  thing, 
because  each  letter  in  its  alphabet  signifies  a  thing ;  and  several 
letters  joined  into  a  word,  which  constitute  the  name  of  a  person, 
include  the  entire  state  of  tT  e  thing.  This  is  one  of  the  won¬ 
derful  things  in  the  spiritual  world.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that 
by  the  name  of  God  in  the  Word  is  signified  God,  with  every 

152 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


230,  231 


thing  divine  which  is  in  him,  and  proceeds  from  him ;  and  as 
the  W  ord  is  the  proceeding  divine,  it  is  the  name  of  God ;  as, 
likewise,  all  the  divine  things,  which  are  called  spiritual  things 
of  the  church,  are  from  the  "Word,  they  are  also  the  name  of 
God.  From  these  considerations  it  may  he  seen  what  is  meant 
in  the  second  commandment  in  the  Decalogue  by  Thou  shalt 
not  profane  the  name  of  Gocl ,  and  in  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  by 
Hall meed  be  thy  name .  Similar  is  the  signification  of  the  name 
of  God  and  of  the  Lord,  in  many  places  of  the  Word  in  both 
Testaments,  as  in  Matt.  vii.  22 ;  x.  22 ;  xviii.  5,  20 ;  xix.  29 ; 
xxi.  9;  xxiv.  9,  10;  John  i.  12;  ii.  23;  iii.  17,  18;  xii.  13, 
2S;  xiv.  11,  15,  16;  xvi.  23,  21,  26,  27;  xvii.  6;  xx.  31; 
besides  other  places,  and  very  many  in  the  Old  Testament, 
lie  who  knows  this  signification  of  name,  may  know  what  is 
signified  by  these  words  of  the  Lord :  “  He  that  receiveth  a 
prophet  in  the  name  of  a  prophet  shall  receive  a  prophet’s 
reward ;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the  name  of 
a  righteous  man  shall  receive  a  righteous  man’s  reward ;  and 
whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup 
of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  he  shall  in  no  wise 
lose  his  reward”  (Matt.  x.  11).  lie  who,  by  the  name  of  a 
prophet,  a  righteous  man,  and  a  disciple,  here  understands  only 
a  prophet,  a  righteous  man,  and  a  disciple,  does  not  understand 
any  other  than  barely  the  literal  sense,  nor  does  he  know  what 
is  the  reward  of  a  prophet,  the  reward  of  a  just  man,  and  the 
reward  of  a  cup  of  cold  water  given  to  a  disciple,  when,  never¬ 
theless,  bv  the  name  and  the  reward  of  a  prophet  is  meant  the 
state  and  felicity  of  those  who  are  in  divine  truths ;  by  the  name 
and  the  reward  of  a  righteous  man,  the  state  and  felicity  of  those 
who  are  in  divine  goods ;  and  by  a  disciple,  those  who  are  in 
some  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  a  cup  of  cold  water  being 
something  of  truth.  That  the  quality  of  the  state  of  love  and 
wisdom,  or  of  goodness  and  truth,  is  signified  by  name,  is  also 
evident  from  these  words  of  the  Lord:  “He  that  entereth  in 
by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of  the  sheep.  To  him  the  porter 
openeth  ;  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice  :  and  he  calleth  his  own 
sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out”  (John  x.  2,  3).  To  call 
his  sheep  by  name,  is  to  teach  and  lead  every  one  who  is  in  the 
good  of  charity,  according  to  the  state  of  his  love  and  wisdom. 
13y  the  door  is  meant  the  Lord,  as  is  evident  from  verse  9th  of 
the  same  chapter ;  “I  am  the  door :  by  me  if  any  man  enter 
in,  he  shall  be  saved.”  From  which  it  is  evident,  that  the 
Lord  himself  is  to  be  approached,  in  order  that  any  one  may  be 
saved ;  and  that  he  who  approaches  him  is  the  shepherd  of  the 
sheep  ;  but  he  wh :  does  not  approach  him  is  a  thief  and  a  rob¬ 
ber,  as  it  is  said  in  the  first  verse  of  that  chapter. 

231.  Since  by  the  profanation  of  what  is  holy  is  meant  pro¬ 
fanation  by  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  truths  of  faith 
153 


231 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  the  goods  of  charity  from  the  Word,  and  also  in  seme 
measure  acknowledge  them,  and  not  by  those  who  are  not 
acquainted  with  them,  or  by  those  who  from  impiety  entirely 
reject  them ;  therefore  what  follows  is  said  not  of  the  latter, 
hut  of  the  former.  The  kinds  of  profanation  by  these  are 
several,  some  lighter  and  some  more  grievous  than  others  :  but 
they  may  be  referred  to  these  seven.  The  first  kind  of  pro¬ 
fanation  IS  COMMITTED  BY  THOSE  who  jest  f  r071l  the  Word,  Cincl 
concerning  the  Word,  or  from  cmd  concerning  the  divine  things 
of  the  church.  This  is  done  by  some  persons  from  a  bad  habit, 
by  taking  names  or  forms  of  speech  out  of  the  Word,  and  in¬ 
troducing  them  into  unseemly  and  sometimes  filthy  discourse  ; 
which  cannot  but  be  connected  in  some  degree  with  a  contempt 
of  the  Word.  Yet  the  Word  in  the  whole  and  in  every  par¬ 
ticular  is  divine  and  holy;  for  every  Word  thereof  contains  in 
its  bosom  something  divine,  by  which  it  has  communication 
with  heaven.  This  kind  of  profanation  however  is  lighter,  or 
more  grievous,  in  proportion  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
sanctity  of  the  Word,  and  the  indecency  of  the  discourse  into 
which  it  is  introduced  by  those  who  make  a  jest  of  it.  A  second 

KIND  OF  PROFANATION  IS  COMMITTED  BY  THOSE  who  Understand 

and  acknowledge  divine  truths ,  and  yet  live  contrary  to  them. 
Those  however  profane  them  more  lightly  who  only  understand 
them,  while  those  who  acknowledge  them  also  profane  them 
more  grievously ;  for  the  understanding  only  teaches,  much  in 
the  same  manner  as  a  preacher  teaches,  and  does  not  conjoin 
itself  with  the  will  from  itself;  but  acknowledgment  conjoins 
itself ;  for  nothing  can  be  acknowledged  without  the  consent  of 
the  will.  Nevertheless,  this  conjunction  is  various,  and  the 
profanation  is  according  to  the  conjunction,  when  the  life  is 
contrary  to  the  truths  which  are  acknowledged.  For  example, 
if  any  one  acknowledges  that  revenge  and  hatred,  adultery  and 
fornication,  fraud  and  deceit,  blasphemy  and  lies,  are  sins  against 
God,  and  yet  commits  them,  such  a  one  is  in  the  more  grievous 
degree  of  this  kind  of  profanation ;  for  the  Lord  says,  u  The 
servant  that  knew  his  Lord’s  will,  and  did  not  according  to  his 
will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes”  (Luke  xii.  47).  And 
in  another  place,  “If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should  have  no  sin; 
but  now  ye  say,  We  see  ;  therefore  your  sin  remaineth”  (John 
ix.  41).  But  it  is  one  thing  to  acknowledge  appearances  of 
truth,  and  another  to  acknowledge  genuine  truths.  Those  who 
acknowledge  genuine  truths,  and  yet  do  not  live  according  to 
them,  appear  in  the  spiritual  world  without  the  light  and  heat 
of  life  in  the  tone  of  their  voice  and  speech,  as  if  they  were 
mere  sloths.  A  third  kind  of  profanation  is  committed 
by  those  ivho  apply  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word  to  confirm  evil 
loves  and  false  principles.  The  reason  of  this  is,  because  a  con¬ 
firmation  of  what  is  false  is  a  negation  of  the  With,  and  a 
154 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


231 


confirmation  frf  evil  is  a  rejection  of  good.  The  Word  contains 
in  its  bosom  nothing  but  divine  truth  and  divine  good  ;  and  this 
in  the  ultimate  sense,  which  is  the  literal  sense,  does  not  appear 
in  genuine  truths,  except  where  it  teaches  concerning  the  Lord 
and  the  essential  wav  of  salvation,  but  in  truths  clothed,  which 
are  called  appearances  of  truth ;  therefore  this  sense  may  be 
wrested  to  confirm  heresies  of  many  kinds.  But  he  who  con¬ 
firms  evil  loves,  offers  violence  to  divine  goods ;  and  he  who  con¬ 
firms  false  principles,  offers  violence  to  divine  truths.  This  latter 
violence  is  called  the  falsification  of  truth  ;  the  former,  the 
adulteration  of  good.  They  are  both  understood  by  bloods  in 
the  Word ;  for  the  spiritual  holiness,  which  is  also  the  spirit  ot 
truth  proceeding  from  the  Lord,  is  interiorly  in  every  particu¬ 
lar  of  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word ;  and  this  holiness  is  violated 
when  the  Word  is  falsified  and  adulterated.  That  this  is  profa¬ 
nation  is  evident.  A  fourth  kind  of  profanation  is  committed 
by  those  who  with  their  mouths  speak  things  pious  and  holy , 
and  also  in  their  tone  of  voice  and  gesture  counterfeit  affections 
of  the  love  of  such  things ,  yet  in  their  hearts  do  not  believe  and 
love  them.  Most  of  these  are  hypocrites  and  Pharisees,  from 
whom  after  death  everv  truth  and  good  is  taken  away,  and 
then  they  are  sent  into  outer  darkness.  Of  this  kind,  those 
who  have  confirmed  themselves  against  what  is  divine,  and 
against  the  Word,  thence  also  against  the  spiritual  things  of 
the  Word,  sit  silent  in  that  darkness,  impotent  of  speech,  and 
desirous  to  babble  about  things  pious  and  holy,  as  they  did  in 
the  world,  but  they  are  not  able ;  for  in  the  spiritual  world 
every  one  is  forced  to  speak  as  he  thinks,  and  a  hypocrite  wishes 
to  speak  otherwise  than  as  he  thinks,  consequently  there  is  an 
opposition  in  the  mouth,  by  reason  of  which  he  can  only  mut¬ 
ter.  Hypocrites,  nevertheless,  are  lighter  or  more  grievous,  ac¬ 
cording  to  confirmations  against  God,  and  reasonings  exteriorly 
i.i  favour  of  God.  A  fifth  kind  of  profanation  is  committed  by 
those  who  attribute  to  themselves  things  divine.  These  are 
those  who  are  meant  by  Lucifer  in  Isaiah  xiv.  By  Lucifer  is 
there  meant  Babel,  as  may  appear  from  the  4th  and  22d  verses 
of  that  chapter,  where  also  their  lot  is  described.  The  same  are 
likewise  meant  and  described  by  the  whore  sitting  upon  the 
scarlet  coloured  beast,  in  Revelation  xvii.  Babel  and  Chaldea 
are  mentioned  in  many  parts  of  the  Word  :  by  Babel  is  there 
meant  the  profanation  of  good,  and  by  Chaldea  the  profanation 
of  truth,  both  in  those  who  attribute  to  themselves  things 
divine.  A  si Vm  kind  of  profanation  is  committed  by 
those  who  acknowledge  the  Word,  and  yet  deny  the  Lord's 
divinity.  These  are  called  in  the  world  Socinians,  and  some  of 
them  Allans :  the  lot  of  both  these  is,  that  they  invoke  the 
Father,  and  not  the  Lord ;  and  continually  pray  the  Father, 
some  of  them  also  for  the  sake  of  the  Son,  that  they  may  be 

-f  K 

loo 


231 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


admitted  into  heaven,  hut  in  vain,  until  they  become  without 
hope  of  salvation ;  and  they  are  then  let  down  into  hell  among 
those  who  deny  God.  These  are  meant  by  those  who  blaspheme 
the  Holy  Ghost,  who  will  not  be  forgiven  either  in  this  world, 
or  in  that  which  is  to  come  (Matt.  xii.  32).  The  reason  of  this 
is,  because  God  is  one  in  person  and  in  essence,  in  whom  there 
is  the  trinity,  and  this  God  is  the  Lord ;  and  as  the  Lord  is  also 
heaven,  and  consequently  those  who  are  in  heaven  are  in  the 
Lord,  therefore  those  who  deny  the  Lord’s  divinity  cannot  be 
admitted  into  heaven,  and  be  in  the  Lord.  That  the  Lord  is 
heaven,  and  that  consequently  those  who  are  in  heaven  are  in 
the  Lord,  was  shown  above.  A  seventh  kind  of  profanation 
is  committed  by  those  who  first  acknowledge  divine  truths ,  and 
live  according  to  them ,  and  afterwards  recede  and  deny  them. 
This  is  the  worst  kind  of  profanation,  because  such  persons  mix 
things  holy  and  profane  in  such  a  manner  that  they  cannot  be 
separated,  and  yet  in  order  to  their  admission  into  either  heaven 
or  hell,  they  must  be  separated  ;  and  as  in  such  persons  this 
cannot  be  effected,  all  the  intellectual  and  voluntary  human 
faculty  is  destroyed,  and,  as  was  said  before,  they  become  no 
longer  men.  It  is  nearly  the  same  with  those  wTho  in  their 
hearts  acknowledge  the  divine  things  of  the  Word  and  the 
church,  and  entirely  immerse  them  in  their  proprium,  which  is 
the  love  of  having  dominion  over  every  thing,  and  respecting 
which  much  has  been  said  above ;  for  these  after  death,  wTien 
they  become  spirits,  will  not  be  led  by  the  Lord,  but  entirely  by 
themselves  :  when  their  love  is  not  restrained,  they  desire  to  rule 
not  only  over  heaven,  but  also  over  the  Lord  ;  and  because  they 
cannot  do  so,  they  deny  the  Lord,  and  become  devils.  It  is  to 
be  observed,  that  the  life’s  love,  which  is  also  the  ruling  love, 
remains  in  every  one  after  death,  and  cannot  be  removed.  The 
profane  of  this  kind  are  meant  by  the  lukewarm,  of  whom  it  is 
thus  written  in  the  Revelation  :  “  I  know  tliy  works,  that  thou 
art  neither  cold  nor  hot :  I  wrould  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So 
then  because  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spew  thee  out 
of  my  mouth”  (iii.  15,  16).  This  kind  of  profanation  is  also 
thus  described  by  the  Lord  in  Matthew :  u  When  the  unclean 
spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he  walketh  through  dry  places, 
seeking  rest,  but  findeth  none.  Then  he  saith,  I  will  return 
into  the  house  from  whence  I  came  out ;  and  when  he  is  come, 
he  findeth  it  empty,  swept,  and  garnished.  Then  goeth  he, 
and  taketh  with  himself  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than 
himself,  and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there  :  and  the  last  state 
of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first”  (xii.  43,  45).  The  con¬ 
version  of  a  man  is  here  described  by  the  unclean  spirit’s  going 
out  of  him ;  his  returning  to  his  former  evils,  after  casting  out 
things  true  and  good,  is  described  by  the  return  of  the  unclean 
spirit  with  seven  others  more  wicked  than  himself  into  the 
156 


THE  DIVINE  PKOVIDENCE. 


231,  232 


house,  wLicl  ne  found  garnished  for  him  ;  and  the  profanation 
of  what  is  holy  by  what  is  profane,  is  described  by  the  last  state 
of  that  man  being  worse  than  the  first.  The  same  is  under¬ 
stood  by  the  passage  in  John,  where  Jesus  said  to  him  that  was 
healed  in  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  “  Sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing 
come  unto  thee  ”  (v.  14).  That  the  Lord  provides,  that  a 
man  may  not  interiorly  acknowledge  truths,  and  afterwards 
recede  from  them  and  become  profane,  is  meant  by  these  words  : 
u He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and  hardened  their  heart;  that 
they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  or  understand  with  their 
heart,  and  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them  ”  (John  xii. 
40).  Lest  they  should  be  converted  and  I  should  heal  them, 
signifies,  lest  they  should  acknowledge  truths  and  then  recede, 
and  so  become  profane.  For  the  same  reason  the  Lord  spoke 
by  parables,  as  he  himself  says  (Matt.  xiii.  13).  The  Jews 
being  forbid  to  eat  fat  and  blood  (Lev.  iii.  IT ;  vii.  23,  25),  sig¬ 
nified  that  they  were  not  to  profane  things  holy  ;  for  fat  signified 
divine  good,  and  blood  divine  truth.  That  a  man  being  once 
converted  ought  to  continue  in  good  and  truth  to  the  end  of  h.s 
life,  the  Lord  teaches  in  Matthew.  Jesus  said,  “He  that 
endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved  ”  (x.  22  ;  also  in  Mark  xi.  i. 
13). 

232.  IY.  That  therefore  the  Lord  does  not  admit  a  mem 
interiorly  into  the  truths  of  wisdom ,  and  at  the  same  time  into 
the  goods  of  love,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept  in  them  to  the 
end  of  life.  In  demonstrating  this  we  must  proceed  distinctly, 
for  two  reasons ;  first,  because  it  nearly  concerns  the  salvation 
of  mankind:  secondly,  because  on  a  knowledge  of  this  law 
depends  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  permission,  to  be  treated 
of  in  the  following  section.  It  nearly  concerns  the  salvation  of 
mankind  ;  because,  as  was  observed  before,  he  who  first  acknow¬ 
ledges  the  divine  things  of  the  Word,  and  thence  those  of  the 
church,  and  afterwards  recedes  from  them,  very  grievously  pro¬ 
fanes  what  is  holy.  Therefore  that  this  arcanum  of  the  Divine 

«y 

Providence  may  be  disclosed  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  rational 
man  mav  see  it  in  its  true  light,  it  shall  be  unfolded  in  the 
following  series.  1.  That  evil  and  good  cannot  exist  together 
in  a  man’s  interiors,  nor  consequently  the  falsity  of  evil  and 
the  truth  of  good  at  the  same  time.  2.  That  good  and  the  truth 
of  good  cannot  be  infused  by  the  Lord  into  a  man’s  interiors 
except  in  proportion  as  evil  and  the  falsity  of  evil  is  thence 
removed.  3.  If  good  with  its  truth  were  infused  there  before, 
or  in  a  greater  degree  than  that  in  which  evil  with  its  falsity  is 
removed,  the  man  would  recede  frem  good  and  return  to  his  evil. 
4.  That  when  a  man  is  in  evil,  many  truths  may  be  infused 
into  his  understanding,  and  treasured  up  in  his  memory,  without 
being  profaned.  5.  But  that  the  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence 
most  especially  provides,  that  they  be  not  received  thence  by  the 
157 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


232,  233 

will,  before  or  in  greater  proportion  than  that  in  which  the  man 
removes  evils  in  the  external  man  as  if  of  himself.  6.  That  if 
they  were  received  sooner,  or  in  greater  proportion,  the  will 
would  adulterate  the  good,  and  the  understanding  would  falsify 
the  truth,  by  mixing  them  with  evils  and  falsities.  7.  That 
therefore  the  Lord  does  not  admit  a  man  interiorly  into  the 
truths  of  faith  and  the  goods  of  love,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be 
kept  in  them  to  the  end  of  life. 

233.  In  order  therefore  that  this  arcanum  of  the  Divine 
Providence  may  be  disclosed  in  such  a  manner  that  the  rational 
man  may  see  it  in  his  light,  the  things  which  have  now  been  ad¬ 
duced  shall  be  severally  explained.  First,  That  evil  and  good 
cannot  exist  together  in  a  marts  interiors ,  nor  consequently  can 
the  falsity  of  evil  and  the  truth  of  good.  By  a  man's  interiors 
is  meant  the  internal  of  his  thought,  of  which  he  does  not  know 
any  thing  before  he  comes  into  the  spiritual  world  and  its  light, 
which  is  the  case  after  death.  In  the  natural  world,  this  can 
only  be  known  from  the  delight  of  his  love  in  the  external  of 
his  thought,  and  from  evils  themselves  when  he  explores  them  in 
himself ;  for,  as  was  shown  above,  the  internal  of  thought  in  a 
man  coheres  with  the  external  of  thought  in  so  close  a  connection, 
that  they  cannot  be  separated ;  but  of  this  more  may  be  seen 
above.  Good  and  the  truth  of  good,  and  evil  and  the  falsity  of 
evil,  are  mentioned,  because  good  cannot  exist  without  its  truth 
nor  evil  without  its  falsity,  they  being  connubial  partners  or 
consorts;  for  the  life  of  good  is  from  its  truth,  and  the  life  of 
truth  from  its  good:  it  is  the  same  with  evil  and  its  falsity. 
That  in  a  man’s  interiors  there  cannot  exist  evil  with  its  falsity 
and  at  the  same  time  good  with  its  truth,  may  be  seen  by  the 
rational  man  without  explanation ;  for  evil  is  opposite  to  good, 
and  good  is  opposite  to  evil,  and  two  opposites  cannot  exist 
together.  There  is  also  in  all  evil  an  inherent  hatred  against 
good,  and  in  all  good  an  inherent  love  of  defending  itself  against 
evil,  and  of  removing  the  same  from  it ;  from  which  it  follows, 
that  the  one  cannot  dwell  with  the  other.  If  they  were  together, 
a  conflict  and  combat  would  first  arise,  and  destruction  would 
follow ;  which  also  the  Lord  teaches  in  these  words :  “  Every 
kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation ;  and 
every  city  or  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand.  lie 
that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me  ;  and  he  that  gathereth  not 
with  me  scattereth  abroad”  (Matt.  xii.  25,30);  and  in  other 
places.  FTo  one  can  at  the  same  time  “  serve  two  masters  ;  for 
either  he  will  hate  the  one  and  love  the  other”  (Matt.  vi.  24). 
Two  opposites  cannot  exist  together  in  one  substance  or  form, 
without  its  being  distracted  and  perishing.  Were  one  to  advance 
and  approach  the  other,  they  would  separate  themselves  alto¬ 
gether  like  two  enemies,  of  which  one  would  retire  within  his 
camp  or  fortifications,  and  the  other  would  remain  without, 
15S 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


233 


This  is  the  case  with  evils  and  goods  in  a  hypocrite,  who  possesses 
both ;  but  evil  is  within,  and  good  without,  and  thus  they  are 
separate  and  not  mixed.  From  these  things  it  is  plain,  that  evil 
with  its  falsity,  and  good  with  its  truth,  cannot  exist  together. 
Secondly,  That  good  and  the  truth  of  good  cannot  he  infused  by 
the  Lord  into  a  maids  interiors ,  except  in  proportion  as  evil  and 
the  falsity  of  evil  is  thence  removed.  This  is  a  necessary  con¬ 
sequence  of  what  precedes  ;  for  since  evil  and  good  cannot  exist 
together,  good  cannot  be  implanted  before  evil  is  removed. 
It  is  affirmed  of  a  man’s  interiors,  by  which  is  meant  the  in¬ 
ternal  of  thought ;  and  in  the  interiors  which  are  here  treated 
of,  either  the  Lord  or  the  devil  must  dwell.  The  Lord  is  there 
after  reformation,  and  the  devil  before  it ;  therefore,  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  a  man  suffers  himself  to  be  reformed,  the  devil  is  cast 
out,  but  in  proportion  as  he  does  not  suffer  himself  to  be  reformed, 
the  devil  remains.  Who  may  not  see  that  the  Lord  cannot  enter 
so  long  as  the  devil  is  there  ?  and  he  is  there  so  long  as  the  man 
keeps  the  door  closed  by  which  he  is  brought  into  communication 
with  the  Lord.  That  the  Lord  enters,  when  the  man  opens 
that  door,  he  himself  teaches  in  the  Revelation:  “I  stand  at 
the  door,  and  knock ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me”  (iii.  20).  The  door  is  opened  by  the  man’s  removing 
evil,  which  lie  does  bv  shunning  and  avoiding  it  as  infernal 
and  diabolical ;  for  whether  it  be  called  evil,  or  the  devil,  it 
is  the  same  thing ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  whether  you  say 
good,  or  the  Lord,  it  is  the  same  thing  ;  for  the  Lord  dwells  in¬ 
wardly  in  all  good,  and  the  devil  in  all  evil.  Hence  the  truth 
of  this  position  is  evident.  Thirdly,  If  good  with  its  truth 
were  infused  before ,  or  in  a  Greater  dearer  than  that  in  which  evil 
and  its  falsity  is  removed ,  the  man  would  recede  from  good  and 
return  to  his  evil.  The  reason  of  this  is,  because  evil  would 
prevail ;  and  that  which  prevails,  conquers,  if  not  at  the  time, 
yet  afterwards.  While  evil  continues  to  prevail,  good  cannot 
be  introduced  into  the  inmost  apartments  of  the  mind,  but  only 
into  the  outer  courts,  because,  as  was  said,  evil  and  good  cannot 
exist  together  ;  and  that  which  is  only  in  the  outer  courts  is 
removed  by  its  enemy  which  is  in  the  inner  apartments,  whereby 
there  is  a  recession  from  go»;  1  and  a  return  to  evil,  which  is  the 
worst  kind  of  profanation.  Besides,  the  very  delight  of  a 
man’s  life  is  to  love  himself  and  the  world  above  all  things  ; 
and  this  delight  cannot  be  removed  in  a  moment,  but  must  be 
done  successively.  According  to  the  proportion  of  this  delight 
which  remains  in  a  man  is  the  prevalence  of  evil  ;  and  this  evil 
can  be  removed  no  otherwise  than  bv  making  the  love  of  self 
to  become  the  love  of  uses,  and  admitting  the  love  of  rule,  not 
for  the  sake  of  self,  but  for  the  sake  of  being  useful ;  for  so 
uses  constitute  the  head,  the  love  of  self  or  the  love  of  rule 
159 


233 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


at  first  constituting  the  body  under  that  head,  and  afterwards 

the  feet  upon  which  he  walks.  Who  does  not  see  that  good 

constitutes  the  head,  and  that  when  it  constitutes  the  head^tho 

Lord  is  there,  good  and  use  being  one  ?  Who  does  not  see, 

that  if  evil  constitutes  the  head,  the  devil  is  there  ;  and  that, 

as  civil  and  moral  good,  and  also  spiritual  good  in  its  external 

form,  are  nevertheless  to  be  received,  these" then  constitute  the 

feet,  and  the  soles  of  the  feet,  and  are  trampled  upon  ?  Since, 

therefore,  the  state  of  a  man’s  life  is  to  be  inverted,  so  that 

what  is  above  may  be  placed  below,  and  this  inversion  cannot 

be  effected  in  a  moment  (for  that  supreme  delight  of  life,  which 

proceeds  from  the  love  of  self  and  thence  of  dominion,  cannot 

be  diminished  except  successively,  and  so  changed  into  the  love 

of  uses),  for  this  reason  good  cannot  be  introduced  by  the  Lord 

before  or  in  a  greater  degree  than  that  in  which  evil  is  removed; 

and  if  it  were  infused  sooner,  or  in  greater  quantity,  the  man 

would  recede  from  good  and  return  to  his  evil.  Fourthly, 

That  when  a  man  is  in  evil ,  many  truths  may  he  introduced  into 

his  understanding ,  and  treasured  up  in  his  memory, without  being 

profaned.  The  reason  of  this  is,  because  the  understanding 

does  not  fiow  into  the  will,  but  the  will  into  the  understanding  ; 

and  as  the  understanding  does  not  flow  into  the  will,  many  truths 

may  be  received  by  it,  and  be  stored  up  in  the  memory,  yet 

not  be  mixed  with  the  evil  of  the  will,  and  thus  what  is  holy 

may  not  be  profaned.  Besides,  it  is  incumbent  on  every  one 

to  learn  truths  from  the  Word,  or  from  preachings,  to  deposit 

them  in  the  memory,  and  to  think  of  them ;  for  it  is  the  duty 

of  the  understanding,  from  the  truths  in  the  memory,  and 

which  thence  enter  into  the  thought,  to  teach  the  will,  that  is, 

the  man,  what  he  ought  to  do ;  this  therefore  is  a  principal 

means  of  reformation  :  when  truths  are  only  in  the  understanding 

and  thence  in  the  memory,  they  are  not  within  the  man,  but 

without  him.  A  man’s  memory  may  be  compared  with  the 

ruminatory  stomach  in  which  certain  animals  deposit  their  food, 

which,  so  long  as  it  is  there,  is  not  within  their  body,  but  with- 

out  it ;  but  as  soon  as  they  bring  it  up  thence,  and  swallow  it, 

it  enters  into  the  life  and  nourishes  the  bodv.  In  a  man's 

€/ 

memory,  however,  the  provision  stored  up  is  not  material  but 
spiritual,  namely,  truths,  and  in  itself  consists  of  knowledges  ; 
and  in  proportion  as  the  man,  by  the  exercise  of  his  thinking 
principle,  which  is  a  kind  of  rumination,  takes  in  thence,  his 
spiritual  mind  is  nourished.  It  is  the  love  of  the  will  which 
has  a  desire,  and  as  it  were  an  appetite,  for  truths  thus  deposited, 
causing  them  to  be  imbibed  and  converted  into  nourishment. 
If  that  love  is  evil,  it  has  a  desire  and  as  it  were  an  appetite  for 
unclean  things  ;  but  if  good,  it  has  a  desire,  and  as  it  were 
an  appetite  for  clean  things;  and  those  things  which  do  not 
agree  with  it,  it  separates,  puts  away,  and  casts  out,  which  is 
160 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


233 


effected  by  various  means.  Fifthly,  But  that  the  Lord  by 
his  Divine  Providence  m  ost  especially  provides  that  they  be  not 
received  thence  by  the  will  before  or  in  greater  proportion  than 
that  in  which  the  man  removes  evil  in  the  external  mam  as  if  of 
himself  /  for  that  which  is  from  the  will  enters  into  the  man,  is 
appropriated  to  him,  and  becomes  a  principle  of  his  life  ;  and 
in  the  life  itself,  which  the  man  has  from  the  will,  evil  and 
good  cannot  exist  together,  for  in  such  case  he  would  perish. 
But  both  may  be  in  the  understanding,  and  are  there  called 
falsities  of  evil  or  truths  of  good,  yet  not  together  ;  for  in  such 
case  the  man  would  not  be  able  to  know  evil  from  good  or  good 
from  evil ;  but  they  are  distinguished  and  separated  there  like  a 
house  into  interior  and  exterior  apartments.  When  a  wicked 
man  thinks  and  speaks  good  things,  he  thinks  and  speaks  ex¬ 
teriorly,  but  when  evil  things,  interiorly ;  wherefore  when  he 
speaks  good  things,  his  speech  issues  as  it  were  from  the  wall  of 
the  house,  and  may  be  compared  to  fruit  which  is  fair  on  the 
outside  but  worm-eaten  and  rotten  within,  and  also  to  the 
outside  shell  of  a  dragon’s  egg.  Sixthly,  That  if  they  were 
received  sooner  and  in  greater  proportion,  the  will  would  adulterate 
the  good ,  and  the  understanding  would  falsify  the  truth ,  by  mixing 
them  with  evils  and  their  consequent  fcdsities.  When  the  will  is 
in  evil,  it  then  adulterates  good  in  the  understanding,  and  good 
adulterated  in  the  understanding  is  evil  in  the  will,  for  it  con¬ 
firms  the  persuasion  that  evil  is  good,  and  vice  versa.  Evil 
does  thus  with  all  good,  which  is  opposite  to  itself ;  it  likewise 
falsifies  the  truth,  because  the  truth  of  good  is  opposite  to  the 
falsity  of  evil :  this  the  will  does  in  the  understanding,  and  not 
the  understanding  from  itself.  Adulterations  of  good  are  de¬ 
scribed  in  the  Word  by  adulteries,  and  falsifications  of  truth 
by  whoredoms.  These  adulterations  and  falsifications  are  effected 
by  reasonings  from  the  natural  man,  which  is  in  evil,  and  they 
are  also  effected  by  confirmations  from  the  appearances  of  the 
literal  sense  of  the  Word.  Self-love,  which  is  the  head  of  all 
evils,  is  more  ingenious  than  other  loves  in  adulterating  goods 
and  falsifying  truths ;  and  this  it  does  by  the  abuse  of  ration¬ 
ality,  which  every  man  has  from  the  Lord,  the  wicked  as  well 
as  the  good.  It  can  indeed  by  confirmations  cause  evil  to  appear 
altogether  as  good  and  falsity  as  truth.  What  can  it  not  do, 
when  it  can  confirm,  by  a  thousand  arguments,  that  nature 
created  herself,  that  she  then  created  men,  beasts,  and  vegetables 
of  all  kinds ;  and  further,  that  by  influx  from  her  interior  self 
she  causes  men  to  live,  to  think  analytically,  and  to  understand 
wisely  ?  The  reason  why  self-love  excels  in  the  art  of  con¬ 
firming  whatever  it  chooses,  is,  because  its  most  outward  surface 
is  constituted  by  a  certain  splendour  of  light  variegated  into  divers 
colours ;  which  splendour  is  that  love’s  glory  of  acquiring  wisdom, 
and  by  that  also  eminence  and  dominion.  But  when  this  love 
lbl 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


233,  234 

has  confirmed  such  tenets,  it  Lien  becomes  so  blind,  that  it  does 
not  see  otherwise  than  that  a  man  is  a  beast,  that  they  think 
alike,  and,  indeed,  that  if  a  beast  could  also  speak,  it  would 
be  a  man  in  another  form.  If  it  be  led  by  any  persuasion  to 
believe  that  something  of  a  man  lives  after  death,  it  is  then  so 
blind  that  it  thinks  beasts  do  the  same,  and  that  this  something 
living  after  death  is  only  a  subtile  exhalation  of  life,  like  vapor, 
which  -  nevertheless  relapses  into  its  dead  body;  or  that  it  is  a 
vital  something  without  sight,  hearing,  and  speech,  consequently 
blind,  deaf,  and  dumb,  hovering  about  and  thinking;  besides 
many  other  insane  ideas,  which  nature,  though  in  herself  void 
of  life,  inspires  into  its  fantasy.  Such  is  the  effect  of  self-love, 
which  viewed  in  itself  is  the  love  of  a  man’s  proprium ;  and  a 
man’s  proprium,  as  to  its  affections,  which  are  all  natural,  is  not 
unlike  the  life  of  a  beast,  and  as  to  its  perceptions,  which  proceed 
from  those  affections,  is  not  unlike  an  owl.  He  therefore  who 
continually  immerses  his  thoughts  in  his  proprium,  cannot  be 
elevated  out  of  natural  light  into  spiritual  light,  nor  see  any  thing 
of  God,  of  heaven,  and  of  life  eternal.  Since  this  love  is  of  such 
a  nature,  and  vet  excels  in  the  art  of  confirming  whatever  it 
chooses,  therefore  with  the  same  art  it  can  also  adulterate  the 
‘good  things  of  the  Word,  and  falsify  its  truths,  when  constrained 
through  any  kind  of  necessity  to  confess  them.  Seventhly, 
That  therefore  the  Lord  does  not  admit  a  man  interiorly  into 
the  truths  of  wisdom  and  the  goods  of  love,  except  so  far  as  he  can 
be  kept  in  them  to  the  end  of  life.  The  Lord  thus  restrains  a  man, 
lest  he  should  fall  into  that  most  grievous  kind  of  profanation 
of  things  holy,  which  is  treated  of  in  this  article.  On  account 
of  this  danger,  the  Lord  also  permits  evils  of  life,  and  many 
heresies  relating  to  worship  ;  concerning  the  permission  of  which 
the  reader  is  referred  to  what  is  shown  in  the  subsequent 
sections. 


THAT  THE  LAWS  OF  PERMISSION  ARE  ALSO  LAWS  OF  THE  DIVINE 

PROVIDENCE. 


234.  There  are  not  any  laws  of  permission  by  themselves, 
or  separate  from  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence,  but  they 
are  the  same ;  therefore  it  is  said  that  God  permits,  by  which 
is  not  meant  that  he  wills,  but  that  he  cannot  prevent  such  a 
thing,  on  account  of  the  end  proposed,  which  is  salvation. 
Whatever  is  done  to  the  end  that  salvation  may  be  effected,  is 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence ;  for,  as  before 
observed,  the  Divine  Providence  keeping  this  end  continually 
in  view  constantly  proceeds  in  a  manner  different  from  a  man’s 
will  and  contrary  thereto  ;  therefore,  in  every  moment  of  its  opera- 


162 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


234-230 


tion  or  in  every  step  of  its  progression,  when  it  perceives  a  man  to 
deviate  from  this  end,  it  directs,  turns,  and  disposes  him, 
according  to  its  laws,  by  withdrawing  him  from  evil,  and  leading 
him  to  good.  That  this  cannot  be  done  without  permitting  evil, 
will  be  seen  in  what  follows.  Besides,  nothing  can  be  permitted 
without  a  cause,  and  the  cause  exists  onlv  in  some  law  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  which  law  explains  why  the  thing  is  per¬ 
mitted. 

235.  Tie  who  does  not  at  all  acknowledge  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence,  does  notin  his  heart  acknowledge  God  ;  but  instead  of  God 
he  acknowledges  nature,  and  instead  of  the  Divine  Providence, 
human  prudence.  That  this  is  the  case  is  not  apparent,  because 
a  man  can  think  in  two  different  ways,  and  also  speak  in  different 
ways  :  he  can  think  and  speak  one  thing  from  his  interior  self, 
and  another  thing  from  his  exterior  self ;  like  a  hinge  on  which 
a  door  can  be  turned  both  ways, — one  way  when  a  person  comes 
in,  and  another  when  he  goes  out ;  and  like  as  a  sail  can  turn 
a  ship  in  different  directions,  according  to  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  expanded  by  the  mariner.  Those  who  have  confirmed 
themselves  in  favour  of  human  prudence,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
deny  the  Divine  Providence,  whatever  they  see,  hear,  and 
read,  while  they  are  under  the  influence  of  this  their  own  way 
of  thinking,  do  not  observe  or  attend  to  anything  else;  nor 
indeed  can  they,  because  they  receive  nothing  from  heaven,  b  it 
only  from  themselves  ;  and  as  they  form  conclusions  from  appear¬ 
ances  and  fallacies  alone,  and  do  not  see  any  thing  else,  they  can 
swear  that  it  is  so.  If  also  they  acknowledge  nature  alone, 
they  can  be  angry  with  the  defenders  of  the  Divine  Providence, 
orovided  they  be  not  priests,  of  whom  they  think  that  they  are 
.  ed  to  such  defence  in  compliance  with  their  particular  tenets 
and  function. 

236.  We  shall  now  proceed  to  enumerate  some  things  which 
are  of  permission,  and  yet  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Divine 
Providence,  from  which  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  him¬ 
self  in  favour  of  nature  against  God,  and  in  favour  of  human 
prudence  against  the  Divine  Providence ;  as,  when  he  reads  in 
the  Word,  that  the  wisest  of  men,  Adam,  and  his  wife,  suffered 
themselves  to  be  seduced  by  a  serpent,  and  that  God  did  not 
avert  this  by  his  Divine  Providence  ; — that  their  first  son,  Cain, 
slew  his  brother  Abel,  and  God  did  not  then  withhold  him  by 
speaking  to  him,  but  only  denounced  a  curse  against  him  after 
the  act ; — that  the  Israel itish  nation  worshiped  a  golden  calf  in 
the  wilderness,  and  acknowledged  it  as  the  god  which  brought 
them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  yet  Jehovah  saw  this  from 
Mount  Sinai,  not  far  off,  and  did  not  prevent  it; — also,  that 
David  numbered  the  people,  and  a  pestilence  was  therefore  sent 
among  them,  by  which  many  thousands  of  men  perished ;  and 
that  God  did  not  send  the  prophet  Gad  to  him  before  the  act, 

163  l 


236— 238 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


but  after  it,  to  denounce  punishment; — that  Solomon  was  per¬ 
mitted  to  establish  idolatrous  worship,  and  many  kings  after 
him  to  profane  the  temple  and  the  holy  things  of  the  church  ;— 
and,  lastly,  that  that  nation  was  permitted  to  crucify  the  Lord. 
In  these  and  many  other  passages  in  the  Word,  he  who  acknow¬ 
ledges  nature  and  human  prudence  sees  nothing  but  what  makes 
against  the  Divine  Providence ;  therefore  he  can  use  them  as 
arguments  to  deny  it,  if  not  in  his  exterior  thought  which  is 
nearest  to  speech,  yet  in  his  interior  thought  which  is  remote 
from  it. 

237.  Every  worshiper  of  himself  and  of  nature  confirms 
himself  against  the  Divine  Providence,  when  he  sees  so  many 
impious  persons  in  the  world,  and  so  many  of  their  impieties, 
in  which  at  the  same  time  some  glory,  and  on  account  of  which, 
nevertheless,  they  receive  no  punishments  from  God.  Still  more 
does  he  confirm  himself  against  the  Divine  Providence,  when  he 
sees  that  wicked  machinations,  cunning,  and  deceit  succeed, 
against  the  pious,  the  just,  and  the  sincere;  and  that  injustice 
triumphs  over  justice,  in  judgments  and  affairs  of  business. 
He  confirms  himself  especially,  when  he  sees  the  impious  ad¬ 
vanced  to  honours,  and  made  nobles  and  primates ;  that  they 
moreover  abound  in  riches,  and  live  elegantly  and  magnificently ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  worshipers  of  God  are  in  contempt 
and  poverty.  lie  likewise  confirms  himself  against  the  Divine 
Providence,  when  he  thinks  how  wars  are  permitted,  by  which 
so  many  men  are  slaughtered,  and  so  many  cities,  nations,  and 
families  plundered ;  moreover,  that  victory  inclines  to  the  side 
of  prudence,  and  not  always  in  favour  of  justice ;  and  that  it 
makes  no  difference  whether  the  general  be  a  good  or  a  wicked 
man ;  besides  other  such  like  circumstances  ;  all  of  which  are 
permissions  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence. 

238.  The  same  natural  man  confirms  himself  against  the 
Divine  Providence,  when  he  takes  a  view  of  the  religious  per¬ 
suasions  of  various  nations ;  seeing  that  there  are  some  who  know 
nothing  at  all  of  God  ;  some  who  worship  the  sun  and  moon  ; 
some  also  who  worship  idols  and  graven  images  even  of  monsters  ; 
and  some  who  worship  dead  men.  When,  in  addition  to  these, 
he  thinks  of  the  Mahometan  religion,  which  is  received  by  so 
many  empires  and  kingdoms  ;  and  considers  that  the  Christian 
religion  prevails  only  in  the  smallest  quarter  of  the  habitable 
globe,  called  Europe  ;  that  even  there  it  is  in  a  state  of  division  ; 
that  there  are  some  of  its  professors  who  claim  to  themselves 
divine  power,  and  desire  to  be  worshiped  as  gods  ;  that  they 
invoke  dead  men ;  that  there  are  some  also  who  place  salvation 
in  certain  words  which  they  think  and  speak,  and  not  in  any 
good  they  do  ;  and  that  there  are  few  who  live  according  to 
their  own  religion ; — besides  taking  into  account  the  great 
number  of  heresies  which  have  heretofore  prevailed,  and  some 

101 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


238—241 


wliicli  exist  at  this  clay,  such  as  those  of  the  Quakers,  Moravians, 
Anabaptists,  and  others;  also,  that  Judaism  still  continues; — 
from  these  things,  the  denier  of  the  Divine  Providence  concludes, 
that  religion  in  itself  is  not  anv  thing,  but  yet  that  it  is  necessarv, 
because  it  serves  as  a  restraint. 

239.  To  these  arguments  more  may  at  this  day  be  added, 
by  which  those  who  think  inwardly  in  favour  of  nature  and 

t  *  _ 

human  prudence  may  still  more  strongly  confirm  themselves  in 
their  sentiments  ;  as,  that  the  whole  Christian  world  has  acknow¬ 
ledged  three  gods,  not  knowing  that  God  is  one  in  person  and 
in  essence,  and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord ;  also  that  heretofore 
it  was  not  known,  that  in  every  particular  of  the  Word  there  is 
a  spiritual  sense,  and  that  therein  its  holiness  consists  ; — farther, 
that  it  was  not  known,  that  essential  Christian  religion  consists 
in  shunning  evils  as  sins  ; — and  that  hitherto  it  was  not  known, 
that  a  man  lives  as  a  man  after  death ; — for  the  favorers  of 
nature  may  say  with  themselves,  and  among  each  other,  If  these 
things  are  true,  why  has  the  Divine  Providence  not  revealed 
them  till  now  ? 

210.  All  the  particular  things  which  are  recited  in  the  num¬ 
bers  237,  238,  and  239,  are  adduced  to  the  end  that  it  may  be 
seen,  that  all  and  singular  the  things  which  occur  in  the  world, 
as  well  to  the  wicked  as  the  good,  are  of  the  Divine  Providence  ; 
consequently,  that  the  Divine  Providence  operates  in  the  most 
minute  particulars  of  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  men,  and  that 
thereby  it  operates  universally.  As  however  this  cannot  be  seen 
therein  except  each  particular  be  explained  separately,  therefore 
they  shall  be  briefly  explained  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
adduced,  beginning  with  n.  236. 

241.  I.  That  the  wisest  of  men ,  Adam ,  and  his  wife ,  suf¬ 
fered  themselves  to  he  seduced  by  a  serpent,  and  that  God  did 
not  prevent  this  by  his  Divine  Providence.  The  reason  of  this 
is,  because  by  Adam  and  his  wife  are  not  meant  the  first  of  all 
the  men  that  were  created  in  this  world,  but  the  men  of  the 
most  ancient  church,  whose  new  creation  or  regeneration  is 
described  at  the  beginning  of  Genesis.  Their  new  creation  or 
regeneration  itself  is  signified  by  the  creation  of  heaven  and 
earth  in  the  first  chapter;  their  wisdom  and  intelligence,  by  the 
garden  of  Eden ;  and  the  end  of  that  church,  by  their  eating  of 
the  tree  of  knowledge.  For  the  Word  internally  is  spiritual, 
containing  within  its  bosom  arcana  of  divine  wisdom  ;  and  in 
order  that  these  arcana  may  be  contained  therein,  it  is  written 
by  mere  correspondences  and  representations.  From  these  cor¬ 
respondences  and  representations  it  is  evident,  that  the  men  of 
that  church,  who  in  its  beginning  were  the  most  wise,  and  in 
its  end,  by  reason  of  the  pride  of  their  self-derived  intelligence, 
the  most  wicked,  were  not  seduced  by  any  serpent,  but  by  self 
iove,  there  denoted  by  the  head  of  the  serpent,  which  is  to  be 
165 


24",  242 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


bruised  by  the  seed  of  the  woman,  that  is,  by  the  Lord  Who 
cannot  see  from  reason,  that  the  things  to  be  understood  are 
different  from  what  are  there  historically  recorded  in  the  letter  ? 
For  who  can  comprehend,  that  the  creation  of  the  world  could 
have  been  such  as  it  is  there  described  ?  The  learned  are  there¬ 
fore  much  puzzled  to  explain  what  is  contained  in  the  first 
chapter,  and  confess,  after  all,  that  they  do  not  understand  it. 
It  is  said,  moreover,  that  in  their  garden  or  Paradise  there  were 
placed  two  trees,  the  one  of  life,  and  the  other  of  knowledge, 
and  these  for  a  stumbling-block ;  also,  that  barely  by  eating  of 
the  latter,  they  sinned  so  greatly,  that  not  only  they,  but  the 
whole  human  race,  their  posterity,  became  subject  to  damna¬ 
tion  ;  and  that  a  serpent  was  able  to  seduce  them  ;  besides  other 
circumstances,  as,  that  the  woman  was  created  out  of  a  rib  of 
the  man  ;  that  after  their  fall  they  knew  that  they  were  naked, 
and  covered  themselves  with  fig-leaA'es,  when  coats  of  skins 
were  given  them  to  clothe  their  bodies  ;  and  that  cherubim  were 
placed  with  a  flaming  sword  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life. 
All  these  things  are  representatives,  by  which  are  described  the 
establishment  of  the  most  ancient  church,  its  state  of  perfec¬ 
tion,  its  decline,  and  lastly,  its  destruction.  The  concealed 
meaning  of  all  the  things  contained  in  the  spiritual  sense,  which 
resides  in  every  particular  of  the  Word,  may  be  seen  explained 
in  The  Arcana  Ccelestia  on  the  books  of  Genesis  and  Exodus, 
published  in  London ;  from  which  also  it  may  appear,  that  tv 
the  tree  of  life  is  there  understood  the  Lord  with  respect  to  his 
Divine  Providence,  and  that  by  the  tree  of  knowledge  is  under¬ 
stood  man  with  respect  to  his  self-derived  prudence. 

242.  II.  That  their  first-horn  son ,  Cain ,  slew  his  brother 
Abel ,  and  God  did  not  prevent  it  by  speaking  to  him ,  but  only 
cursed  him  after  the  act.  Since  by  Adam  and  his  wife  is  meant 
the  most  ancient  church,  as  above  observed,  therefore  by  Cain 
and  Abel,  their  first  sons,  are  meant  two  essentials  of  the 
church,  which  are  love  and  wisdom,  or  charity  and  faith, — by 
Abel,  love  and  charity,  and  by  Cain,  wisdom  or  faith,  speci¬ 
fically  wisdom  separate  from  love,  or  faith  separate  from  charity  ; 
and  wisdom,  as  also  faith,  separate,  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  it 
not  only  rejects  love  and  charity,  but  also  annihilates  them, 
and  so  slays  its  brother.  That  faith  separate  from  charity  has 
this  effect,  is  well  enough  known  in  the  Christian  world  :  see 
The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  Faith. 
The  curse  of  Cain  involves  the  spiritual  state  into  which  those 
who  separate  faith  from  charity,  or  wisdom  from  love,  come  after 
death.  Yet  that  wisdom  or  faith  might  not  therefore  perish,  a 
mark  was  set  upon  Cain,  lest  he  should  be  slain  ;  for  love  does 
not  exist  without  wisdom,  nor  charitv  without  faith.  As  by 
these  circumstances  nearly  the  same  things  are  represented,  as 
by  eating  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  therefore  they  follow  in 
166 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


242—245 


order  after  the  descripticn  of  Adam  and  his  wife.  Those  also 
who  are  in  faith  separate  from  charity,  are  in  self-derived  intel¬ 
ligence  ;  and  those  who  are  in  charity,  and  thereby  in  faith, 
are  in  intelligence  from  the  Lord,  and  thus  in  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence. 

243.  III.  That  the  Israel itish  nation  worshiped  a  golden 
calf  in  the  wilderness ,  and  acknowledged  it  as  the  god  which 
brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ;  yet  Jehovah  saw  this 
from  Mount  Sinai ,  not  far  of]  and  did  not  prevent  it.  This 
was  done  in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai  near  the  Mount.  That 
Jehovah  did  not  withhold  the  Israelites  from  that  wicked  idol¬ 
atry,  is  conformable  with  all  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence 
1 /  / 


which  have  before  been  set  forth,  and  also  with  those  which  fol¬ 
low.  This  evil  was  permitted  them  that  they  might  not  all 
perish ;  for  the  children  of  Israel  were  brought  out  of  Egypt 
that  they  might  represent  the  Lord’s  church ;  which  they  could 
not  have  done,  unless  the  Egyptian  idolatry  had  been  first  rooted 
out  of  their  hearts;  and  this  could  not  have  been  done,  except 
they  had  been  left  to  themselves  to  act  according  to  that  which 
was  in  their  hearts,  and  so  to  have  it  removed  by  a  grievous 
punishment.  What  is  further  signified  by  that  idolatrous  wor¬ 
ship,  and  by  the  threat  that  they  should  be  totally  rejected,  and 
that  a  new  nation  should  be  raised  up  out  of  Moses,  may  be 
seen  in  The  Arcana  Ccelestia,  on  Exodus  xxii.,  where  this  sub¬ 
ject  is  treated  of. 

244.  IV.  That  David  numbered  the  people,  and  a  pestilence 
urns  therefore  sent  among  them ,  by  which  many  thousands  of 
men  perished  /  and  that  God  did  not  send  the  prophet  Gad  to 
him  before  the  act ,  but  after  it,  to  denounce  punishment.  He 
who  confirms  himself  against  the  Divine  Providence  may  also 
think  and  revolve  in  his  mind  various  things  on  this  matter, 
particularly,  why  David  was  not  forewarned,  and  why  the  peo¬ 
ple  were  so  grievously  punished  for  the  king’s  transgression. 
That  David  was  not  forewarned,  is  conformable  to  the  laws  of 
the  Divine  Providence  previously  set  forth,  especially  the  two 
which  are  explained,  n.  129 — 153  ;  and  n.  154 — 174.  That  the 
people  were  so  grievously  punished  for  the  king’s  transgression, 
and  seventy  thousand  of  them  cut  off  by  the  pestilence,  was  not 
owing  to  the  king,  but  to  the  people ;  for  it  is  written  :  “  Again 
the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel,  therefore  he 
moved  David  against  them,  saying,  Go  number  Israel  and 
Judah”  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  1). 

245.  V.  That  Solomon  was  permitted  to  establish  idolatrous 
worship).  This  was  in  order  that  he  might  represent  the  Lord’s 
kingdom  or  church,  with  all  the  religions  in  the  universal  world ; 
for  the  church  established  with  the  Israelitish  and  Jewish  nations 
was  a  representative  church,  and  therefore  all  the  judgments 
and  statutes  of  that  church  represented  spiritual  things  of  the 

167 


245—247 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


church,  which  are  its  internals.  The  people  themselves  repre¬ 
sented  the  church,  the  king  represented  the  Lord, — David,  the 
Lord  who  was  about  to  come  into  the  world,  and  Solomon,  the 
Lord  after  his  coming ;  and  since  the  Lord  after  the  glorifica¬ 
tion  of  his  humanity  had  power  over  heaven  and  earth,  as  he 
himself  says  (Matt,  xxviii.  18),  therefore  Solomon  who  repre¬ 
sented  him  appeared  in  glory  and  magnificence,  was  in  wisdom 
above  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  also  built  the  temple.  He 
moreover  permitted  and  established  the  religious  worship  ot 
many  nations,  by  which  were  represented  the  various  religious 
principles  prevailing  in  the  world.  The  like  is  signified  by  his 
wives,  which  were  seven  hundred  in  number,  and  by  his  con¬ 
cubines,  which  amounted  to  three  hundred,  1  Kings  xi.  3 ;  for 
wife  in  the  Word  signifies  a  church,  and  concubine  a  religious 
principle.  Hence  it  may  appear  why  Solomon  wTas  appointed 
to  build  the  temple,  by  which  the  Lord’s  divine  humanity  w’as 
signified  (John  ii.  19,  21),  and  also  the  church ;  likewise,  why 
he  was  permitted  to  establish  idolatrous  worship,  and  to  have  so 
many  wives.  That  by  David  in  many  passages  in  the  Word  is 
meant  the  Lord,  who  was  to  come  into  the  world,  may  be  seen 
in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
Lord,  n.  43,  44. 

246.  YI.  That  many  kings  after  Solomon  were  permitted 
to  profane  the  temple  and  the  holy  things  of  the  church.  This 
was  because  the  people  represented  the  church,  and  their  king 
the  head  of  them ;  and  as  the  Israelitish  and  Jewish  nation  were 
of  such  a  nature,  that  they  could  not  long  represent  the  church, 
for  they  were  idolaters  at  heart,  therefore  they  receded  succes¬ 
sively  from  representative  worship,  by  perverting  all  things  of 
the  church,  so  that  in  the  end  they  vastated  it.  This  was  repre¬ 
sented  by  profanations  of  the  temple  by  their  kings,  and  by 
their  idolatries ;  the  vastation  of  the  church  itself  by  the  de¬ 
struction  of  the  temple,  by  the  carrying  away  of  the  Israelitish 
people,  and  the  captivity  of  the  Jewish  people  in  Babylon. 
This  was  the  cause  of  the  above  permission ;  and  whatever  is 
done  from  any  cause,  is  done  from  the  Divine  Providence  of  the 
Lord  according  to  some  of  its  laws. 

247.  YH.  That  that  nation  was  permitted  to  crucify  the 
Lord.  The  reason  of  this  was,  because  the  church  among  that 
nation  was  totally  vastated,  and  become  such,  that  they  not  only 
did  not  know  and  acknowledge  the  Lord,  but  also  hated  him  : 
nevertheless,  all  that  they  did  to  him  was  according  to  the  laws 
of  his  Divine  Providence.  That  the  passion  of  the  cross  was 
the  last  temptation,  or  last  combat,  by  which  the  Lord  fully 
overcame  the  hells,  and  fully  glorified  his  humanity,  may  be 
seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
Lord,  n.  12, 13, 14,  and  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem 
concerning  Faith,  n.  34,  35. 

168 


THE  DIVINE  PKOVIDENCE. 


248,  249 

248.  Tims  far  we  have  explained  the  particulars  above 
recited,  n.  236,  which  are  some  passages  out  of  the  Word, 
whereby  a  natural  man,  who  reasons  against  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence,  may  confirm  himself  in  such  reasoning;  for,  as  before 
observed,  whatever  such  a  man  sees,  hears,  and  reads,  he  can 
take  up  as  an  argument  against  Providence.  Few,  however, 
confirm  themselves  against  the  Divine  Providence  from  the 
things  contained  in  the  Word ;  but  many  do  so  from  the  things 
which  are  extant  before  then  eyes,  as  mentioned  in  n.  237, 
which  shall  now  in  like  manner  be  explained. 

249.  I.  That  every  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  confirms 
himself  against  the  Divine  Drovidence ,  when  he  sees  so  many 
impious  pm'sons  in  the  world ,  and  so  many  of  their  impieties , 
in  which ,  at  the  same  time ,  some  glory ,  and  on  account  of  which , 
nevertheless ,  they  receive  no  punishment  from  God.  All  impie¬ 
ties,  and  all  glorying  therein,  are  permissions,  the  causes  of  which 
are  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence.  Every  man  may  freely, 
indeed  most  freely,  think  whatever  he  will,  as  well  against  God 
as  in  favour  of  God ;  and  he  who  thinks  against  God  is  rarely 
punished  in  the  natural  world,  because  there  he  is  always  in  a 
state  capable  of  reformation  ;  but  he  is  punished  in  the  spiritual 
world  after  death,  for  then  he  can  no  longer  be  reformed.  That 
the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  are  the  cause  of  permissions, 
is  evident  from  those  above  set  forth,  if  they  are  reviewed  and 
examined,  namely,  That  a  man  ought  to  act  from  liberty  accord¬ 
ing  to  reason;  concerning  which  see  n.  71 — 97  above.  That  a 
man  ought  not  to  be  forced  by  external  means  to  think  and 
will,  and  so  to  believe  and  love  the  things  which  are  of  religion, 
but  that  he  ought  to  lead  and  sometimes  to  force  himself  to  it ; 
concerning  which  see  n.  129 — 174.  That  self-derived  prudence 
is  nothing,  and  only  appears  as  if  it  was,  and  also  ought  so  to 
appear ;  but  that  the  Divine  Providence  from  things  the  most 
particular  is  universal,  n.  191 — 213.  That  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  has  respect  to  things  eternal,  and  not  to  temporary  things, 
except  so  far  as  they  make  one  with  things  eternal,  n.  214—- 
220.  And  that  a  man  is  not  admitted  interiorly  into  the  truths 
of  faith  and  goods  of  charity,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept 
in  them  to  his  life’s  end ;  concerning  which  see  n.  221 — 233. 
That  the  causes  of  permissions  are  laws  of  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  will  also  be  evident  from  what  follows ;  as,  from  this 
consideration,  that  evils  are  permitted  to  the  end  that  salvation 
may  be  effected ;  from  this,  that  the  Divine  Providence  is  con¬ 
tinual,  as  well  with  the  wicked  as  the  good ;  and,  lastly,  from 
this,  that  the  Lord  cannot  act  against  the  laws  of  his  Divine 
Providence,  because  to  act  against  them  would  be  to  act  against 
his  divine  love  and  wisdom,  consequently  against  himself.  These 
laws,  if  they  be  compared,  may  show  the  reasons  why  impieties 
are  permitted  by  the  Lord,  and  not  punished  when  they  exist 

169 


249,  250 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


in  thought  only,  also  rarely  when  they  exist  in  intention,  or 
when  in  the  will,  and  not  in  act.  Yet  every  evil  is  followed  by 
its  punishment,  for  it  is  as  if  evil  had  its  punishment  inscribed 
upon  it,  which  the  impious  man  suffers  after  death.  By  the 
considerations  here  adduced,  may  also  be  explained  the  reason  of 
the  following  position  stated  in  n.  237 :  That  the  worshiper  of 
self  and  of  nature  confirms  himself  still  move  against  the  Divine 
Providence ,  when  he  sees  that  wicked  contrivances ,  cunning ,  and 
deceit ,  succeed  against  the  pious ,  the  just,  and  the  sincere  ‘  and 
that  injustice  triumphs  over  justice  in  judgments  and  ajfairs  of 
business.  All  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  are  necessities  ; 
and  since  necessities  are  the  causes  why  the  above  evil  things 
are  permitted,  it  is  evident  that,  to  the  end  that  man  may 
live  as  a  man,  the  liberty  of  doing  such  things  cannot  be  taken 
away  from  him  by  the  Lord,  except  mediately  by  the  Word, 
and  especially  by  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  with  those 
who  acknowledge  all  kinds  of  murders,  adulteries,  thefts,  and 
false  testimony  to  be  sins ;  but  with  those  who  do  not  acknow¬ 
ledge  such  things  to  be  sins,  the  same  is  effected  mediately  by 
civil  laws,  and  the  fear  of  punishment  thence  incurred;  also 
mediately  by  moral  laws,  and  fear  of  the  loss  of  character, 
honour,  and  interest.  By  these  means  the  Lord  leads  the  wicked, 
yet  only  from  doing  such  things,  and  not  from  thinking  and 
willing  them ;  but  by  the  former  means  he  leads  the  good, 
not  only  from  doing  evils,  but  also  from  thinking  and  willing 
them. 

250.  II.  That  the  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  confirms 
himself  against  the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  sees  the  impious 
promoted  to  honours ,  and  made  nobles  and  primates  /  that  they 
moreover  abound  in  ivealth ,  and  live  elegantly  and  magn  ificently , 
while  the  worshipers  of  God  remain  in  contempt  and  poverty. 
The  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  thinks  dignities  and  riches 
the  supreme  and  sole  felicities  which  can  be  given,  consequently 
the  real  and  essential  felicities.  If,  in  consequence  of  having 
been  initiated  into  divine  worship  in  his  infancy,  he  thinks  any 
thing  of  God,  he  calls  them  divine  blessings ;  and  so  long  as 
from  these  blessings  he  does  not  aspire  to  any  thing  higher,  he 
thinks  that  there  is  a  God,  and  worships  him ;  but  in  this  wor¬ 
ship  there  lies  hid  a  motive  which  he  himself  does  not  then 
know,- — that  he  may  be  promoted  by  God  to  still  higher  dig¬ 
nities  and  more  abundant  wealth ;  and  if  he  attains  thereto, 
his  worship  declines  more  and  more  to  exteriors,  till  it  comes  to 
nothing,  and  at  length  he  makes  no  account  of  God,  and  denies 
him.  The  effect  is  the  same,  if  he  be  cast  down  from  the 
dignity  and  opulence  on  which  he  had  placed  his  heart.  To  the 
wicked  then,  what  are  dignities  and  riches  but  stumbling- 
blocks?  Yot  so  to  the  good,  because  they  do  not  place  their 
hearts  thereon,  but  on  the  uses  or  goods,  for  the  doing  of  which 
1 70 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


250 


dignities  and  riches  serve  as  means.  Therefore,  from  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  tilt)  impious  to  dignities  and  riches,  and  their  being- 
made  nobles  and  primates,  no  one  but  a  worshiper  of  self  and 
of  nature  can  confirm  himself  against  the  Divine  Providence. 
Besides,  what  is  greater  or  lesser  dignity,  and  greater  or  lesser 
opulence?  Is  it  anything  in  itself,  but  only  something  ima¬ 
ginary?  Is  one  more  prosperous  and  happy  than  the  other  ? 
Is  the  dignity  of  a  noble,  or  even  of  a  king  or  an  emperor, 
after  a  year’s  duration,  considered  any  otherwise  than  as  some- 
thing  common,  which  no  longer  makes  his  heart  dilate  with  joy, 
and  may  even  become  vile  in  his  sight?  Are  men,  by  virtue  of 
their  dignity,  in  any  greater  degree  of  happiness,  than  those 
who  are  in  less  dignity,  or  than  those  even  who  are  in  the  least 
of  all,  such  as  husbandmen  and  their  servants  ?  May  not  these 
latter  be  in  a  greater  degree  of  happiness,  when  they  are  pros¬ 
perous  and  contented  with  their  lot?  Who  is  more  restless  at 
heart,  more  frequently  fretted,  or  more  grievously  enraged, 
than  a  lover  of  himself?  This  is  the  case  as  often  as  he  is  not 
honoured  according  to  the  pride  of  his  heart,  or  when  any  thing 
does  not  succeed  according  to  his  wish  and  pleasure.  What 
then  is  dignity,  if  it  be  not  to  some  use  and  purpose,  but  an 
idea  ?  Can  such  an  idea  exist  in  any  other  thought,  than  in 
that  about  self  and  the  world  ?  And  is  it  any  thing  in  itself 
but  an  idea,  that  the  world  is  every  thing  and  eternity  nothing? 
We  will  here  add  a  few  observations  concerning  the  reason  why 
the  Divine  Providence  permits  the  wicked  at  heart  to  be  pro¬ 
moted  to  dignities,  and  to  acquire  wealth.  The  impious,  or 
wicked,  can  equally  as  well  perform  uses  as  the  pious  or  good, 
T.deed,  with  greater  ardour,  for  they  consider  themselves  in  uses, 
and  honours  they  consider  as  uses;  therefore  in  proportion  to 
the  prevalence  of  self-love,  is  kindled  the  lust  of  doing  uses 
with  a  view  to  their  own  glory.  Such  fire  does  not  operate  with 
the  pious  or  good,  unless  it  be  kindled  from  below  by  the  con¬ 
sideration  of  honour ;  for  which  reason  the  Lord  rules  the  impious 
at  heart,  who  are  in  dignities,  by  the  love  of  fame,  and  thereby 
excites  them  to  perform  uses  to  the  community  or  their  country, 
to  the  society  or  city  in*  which  they  dwell,  and  also  to  their 
neighbour  or  fellow-citizen  :  for  the  Lord’s  kingdom  is  a  kingdom 
of  uses ;  and  where  there  are  only  a  few  who  perform  uses  for 
the  sake  of  being  useful,  he  causes  the  worshipers  of  self  to  be 
advanced  to  offices  of  pre-eminence,  in  which  they  are  all  ex¬ 
cited  by  self-love  to  do  good.  Suppose  there  were  any  infernal 
kingdom  in  this  world  (although  there  is  not  any  such),  in  which 
the  love  of  self  only  prevailed,  self-love  being  the  devil  himself, 
would  not  every  member  of  it  perform  uses  from  the  fire  of  self- 
love,  and  the  splendour  of  his  own  glory,  more  than  in  any  other 
kingdom?  All  such  have  in  their  mouths  nothing  but  the 
public  good,  and  in  their  hearts  nothing  but  their  own  good; 
171 


250,  251 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  as  every  one  in  such  case  looks  up  to  his  prince  that  he  may 
be  made  greater,  for  he  aspires  to  be  greatest,  can  such  a  one 
see  that  there  is  a  God,  whilst  he  is  encompassed  by  the  smoke 
as  it  were  of  a  conflagration,  which  no  spiritual  truth  in  its  light 
can  pervade  ?  I  have  seen  that  smoke  about  the  hells  of  such. 
Seek  every  method  of  information,  and  inquire  how  many  of 
those,  who  at  this  day  aspire  to  dignities  in  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth,  are  any  other  than  lovers  of  self  and  of  the  world. 
You  will  scarcely  find  fifty  in  a  thousand  who  are  influenced 
by  the  love  of  God,  and  among  these  only  a  few  aspire  to 
dignities.  Since  then  they  are  so  few  in  number  who  are  in¬ 
fluenced  by  the  love  of  God,  and  so  many  who  are  influenced 
by  the  love  of  self  and  of  the  world,  and  since  the  latter  loves, 
from  the  nature  of  their  fires,  are  more  productive  of  uses,  than 
the  love  of  God  is,  from  its  fire,  how  can  any  one  confirm  himself 
against  Divine  Providence  from  the  circumstance  of  the  wicked 
being  in  greater  pre-eminence  and  opulence  than  the  good  ? 
This  view  is  also  confirmed  by  these  words  of  the  Lord  :  u  And 
the  Lord  commended  the  unjust  steward,  because  he  had  done 
wisely :  for  the  children  of  this  world  are  in  their  generation 
wiser  than  the  children  of  light.  And  I  say  unto  you,  make  to 
yourselves  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness ;  that, 
when  ye  fail,  they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting  habitations” 
(Luke  xvi.  8,  9).  What  is  meant  by  these  words,  in  the  natural 
sense,  is  evident :  but,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  by  mammon  ot 
unrighteousness  are  meant  the  knowledges  of  things  good  and 
true  which  the  wicked  possess,  and  which  they  use  solely  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  to  themselves  dignities  and  riches.  It  is 
these  knowledges,  of  which  the  good,  or  the  children  of  light, 
are  to  make  to  themselves  friends,  and  which  are  to  introduce 
them  into  everlasting  habitations.  That  there  are  many  who 
love  themselves  and  the  world,  and  few  who  love  God,  the  Lord 
also  teaches  in  these  wTords  :  u  Wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the 
wray,  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  there  be  which  go. 
in  thereat ;  because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way, 
which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it”  (Matt.  vii. 
13,  14).  That  dignities  and  riches  are  either  curses  or  blessings, 
and  with  whom  they  are  such,  may  be  seen  above,  n.  217. 

251.  III.  That  the  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  confirms 
himself  against  the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  considers  that 
wars  are  permitted ,  by  which  so  many  men  are  slaughtered ,  and 
their  possessions  plundered.  It  is  not  from  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  that  wars  exist,  because  they  are  connected  with  murders, 
depredations,  violences,  cruelties,  and  other  enormous  evils,  which 
are  diametrically  contrary  to  Christian  charity;  but  still  they 
cannot  but  be  permitted,  because  the  life’s  love  of  man,  since  the 
time  of  the  most  ancient  people,  who  are  meant  by  Adam  and 
his  wife  (treated  of  above,  n.  241).  is  become  of  such  a  nature. 
172 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


251 


that  lie  desires  to  have  dominion  over  others,  and  at  length  over 
all,  and  wishes  to  possess  worldly  wealth,  and  at  length  all  the 
wealth  in  the  world.  These  two  loves  cannot  he  held  in  bonds  ; 
since  it  is  according  to  the  Divine  Providence,  that  every  one 
should  be  allowed  to  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  con¬ 
cerning  which  see  above,  n.  71  to  97 ;  and  without  permissions, 
a  man  cannot  be  led  by  the  Lord  from  evils,  consequently  cannot 
be  reformed  and  saved  ;  for  if  evils  were  not  permitted  to  break 
out,  a  man  would  not  see  them,  therefore  would  not  acknowledge 
them,  and  could  not  be  induced  to  resist  them.  Hence  it  is  that 
evils  cannot  be  restrained  from  appearing  by  any  regulation 
of  the  Divine  Providence  ;  for  in  that  case,  they  would  remain 
shut  in,  and  like  the  diseases  called  cancer  and  mortification, 
would  spread,  and  consume  every  thing  vital  in  the  man.  For  a 
man  is  by  birth  like  a  little  hell,  between  which  and  heaven 
there  is  a  perpetual  disagreement.  Ho  man  can  be  drawn  out 
of  his  hell  by  the  Lord,  unless  he  sees  that  he  is  there,  and  wishes 
to  be  delivered ;  and  this  cannot  be  done  without  permissions, 
the  causes  of  which  are  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence.  This  is 
the  reason  why  there  are  wars  of  greater  or  lesser  extent ; — 
lesser  wars  between  the  possessors  of  lands  and  lordships  and 
their  neighbours,  and  greater  wars  between  the  monarehs  of 
kingdoms  and  their  neighbours.  Their  being  greater  or  lesser 
makes  no  other  difference  than  that  the  lesser  are  kept  within 
certain  bounds  by  the  laws  of  their  particular  nation,  and  the 
greater  by  the  law  of  nations  ;  and  that,  although  the  lesser  as 
well  as  the  greater  are  desirous  of  going  beyond  their  laws,  the 
lesser  cannot,  and  the  greater  can,  yet  still  within  the  limits  of  a 
certain  possibility.  That  the  greater  wars,  notwithstanding  they 
are  connected  with  slaughter,  depredations,  violence,  and  cruelty, 
are  not  prevented  by  the  Lord  from  being  carried  on  by  kings 
and  generals,  neither  in  their  beginning  nor  in  their  progress, 
until  in  the  end  the  power  of  one  or  the  other  is  so  reduced  that 
they  are  in  danger  of  destruction,  is  owing  to  several  causes, 
which  are  hid  in  the  treasury  of  divine  wisdom.  Some  of  these 
have  been  revealed  to  me  ;  among  which  is  the  following, — that 
all  wars,  although  they  are  of  a  civil  nature,  are  representative 
of  states  of  the  church  in  heaven,  and  are  correspondences. 
Such  were  all  the  wars  which  are  described  in  the  Word,  and 
such  also  are  all  wars  at  this  day.  The  wars  described  in  the 
Word  are  those  which  were  carried  on  by  the  children  of  Israel 
with  various  nations,  as  with  the  Amorites,  the  Ammonites, 
the  Moabites,  the  Philistines,  the  Syrians,  the  Egyptians,  the 
Chaldeans,  the  Assyrians ;  and  when  the  children  of  Israel, 
who  represented  the  church,  departed  from  their  precepts  and 
statutes,  and  fell  into  the  evils  which  were  signified  by  those 
nations  (for  each  particular  nation,  with  which  the  children  of 
173 


251 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


Israel  waged  war,  signified  some  particular  kind  of  evil),  then 
they  were  punished  by  that  nation.  For  example,  when  they 
profaned  the  holy  things  of  the  church  by  foul  idolatries, 
they  were  punished  by  the  Assyrians  and  Chaldeans,  because 
by  Assyria  and  Chaldea  is  signified  the  profanation  of  what  is 
holy.  What  is  signified  by  the  wars  with  the  Philistines  may 
be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concern¬ 
ing  Faith,  n.  50 — 54.  Similar  things  are  represented  by  wars 
at  this  day,  wherever  they  are  ;  for  all  the  things  which  are  done 
in  the  natural  world  correspond  with  spiritual  things  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  all  spiritual  things  concern  the  church.  It 
is  not  known  in  this  world,  which  kingdoms  in  Christendom 
represent  the  Moabites  and  Ammonites,  which  the  Syrians  and 
Philistines,  and  which  the  Chaldeans  and  Assyrians,  and  the 
others  with  whom  the  children  of  Israel  carried  on  war  ;  never¬ 
theless  there  are  kingdoms  in  Christendom  which  represent  those 
people.  Put  what  is  the  quality  of  the  church  upon  earth,  and 
what  are  the  evils  into  which  it  falls,  and  on  account  of  which  it 
is  punished  with  wars,  cannot  at  all  be  seen  in  the  natural  world, 
because  in  that  world  appear  externals  only,  which  do  not  con¬ 
stitute  the  church ;  but  it  is  seen  in  the  spiritual  world,  where 
internals  appear,  which  do  constitute  the  church  ;  and  there  all 
are  conjoined  according  to  their  various  states.  The  conflicts 
of  those  in  the  spiritual  world  correspond  to  wars,  which  on 
both  sides  are  governed  correspond ently  by  the  Lord  according 
to  his  Divine  Providence.  That  wars  in  this  world  are  governed 
by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  is  acknowledged  by  the 
spiritual  man,  but  not  by  the  natural  man,  except  when  a  feast 
is  appointed  on  account  of  a  victory ;  and  then  upon  his  knees 
he  can  give  thanks  to  God  who  has  given  the  victory  ;  and  he 
can  also  offer  up  a  few  ejaculations  before  he  goes  to  battle ;  but 
when  he  returns  to  himself,  he  either  ascribes  the  victory  to  the 
prudence  of  the  general,  or  to  some  measure  or  incident  in  the 
midst  of  the  battle,  which  they  had  not  thought  of,  and  by 
which  nevertheless  the  victory  was  decided.  That  the  Divine 
Providence,  which  is  called  fortune,  operates  in  the  most  minute 
particulars  even  of  trifling  things,  may  be  seen  above,  n.  212  ; 
and  if  you  acknowledge  the  Divine  Providence  in  such  things, 
much  more  should  you  acknowledge  it  in  the  concerns  of  war. 
Successes  and  advantages  obtained  in  war  are  commonly  called 
the  fortune  of  war;  and  this  is  the  Divine  Providence  operating 
especially  in  the  counsels  and  designs  meditated  by  the  general, 
although  he  at  the  time,  and  afterwards,  may  ascribe  the  whole 
to  his  own  prudence.  This  he  may  do  if  he  pleases,  for  he  is 
at  full  liberty  to  think  either  in  favour  of  the  Divine  Providence 
or  against  it,  and,  indeed,  either  in  favour  of  God  or  against  him  ; 
but  he  ought  to  know,  that  not  the  smallest  particular  of  his 
174 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


251-  —253 


counsels  or  med  jated  measures  is  from  himself:  they  all  flow 
from  heaven,  or  from  hell, — from  hell  by  permission,  and  from 
heaven  by  the  Divine  Providence. 

252.  IV.  That  the  worshiper  of  self  and  of  nature  confirms 
himself  against  the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  thinks ,  according 
to  his' perception,  that  victories  declare  on  the  side  of  prudence, 
and  not  always  on  the  side  of  justice;  and  that  it  makes  nodifier- 
ence  whether  the  general  he  ci  good  or  a  wicked  man.  The  reason 
why  it  seems  as  if  victory  declared  on  the  side  of  prudence,  and 
sometimes  not  on  the  side  of  justice,  is,  because  a  man  judges 
from  appearance,  and  favours  one  party  more  than  another  ;  and 
that  which  he  favours  he  can  confirm  bv  reasonings.  ISTor  does 
he  know,  as  before  observed,  that  the  justice  of  the  cause  in 
heaven  is  spiritual,  and  in  this  world  natural ;  and  that  they 
are  joined  by  a  connection  of  things  past  and  to  come,  which 
are  known  only  to  the  Lord.  That  it  makes  no  difference 
whether  the  general  be  a  good  or  a  wicked  man,  is  owing  to 
the  same  cause  which  is  assigned  above,  n.  250,  namely,  that 
the  wicked  perform  uses  as  well  as  the  good,  and,  indeed,  from 
the  fire  peculiar  to  themselves,  more  ardently  than  the  good  ; 
especially  in  wars,  because  a  wicked  man  is  more  crafty  and 
cunning  in  devising  deceitful  contrivances,  and  from  the  love  of 
glory  receives  pleasure  in  killing  and  plundering  those  whom 
fie  knows  and  declares  to  be  enemies,  which  is  not  the  case 
with  a  good  man,  who  is  only  influenced  by  prudence  and  zea. 
in  defending  himself,  and  rarely  in  invading  others.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  spirits  of  hell,  and  the  angels  of  heaven ;  the 
former  assaulting  and  the  latter  defending  themselves.  Hence 
may  be  deduced  this  conclusion,  that  it  is  allowable  for  any 
persons  to  defend  their  country  and  associates  against  invading 
enemies,  even  by  means  of  wicked  generals;  but  it  is  not 
allowable  to  make  themselves  enemies  without  a  cause.  When 
a  desire  for  glory  alone  is  the  cause,  it  is  in  itself  diabolical, 

O  t J  J  7 

for  this  springs  from  self-love. 

253.  Thus  far  have  been  explained  the  things  adduced  above, 
n.  237,  by  which  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence  :  we  will  now  proceed  to  explain 
those  which  follow,  in  n.  238,  relating  to  the  religions  of  many 
nations,  which  can  also  serve  the  merely  natural  man  as  argu¬ 
ments  against  the  Divine  Pr  evidence ;  for  lie  says  in  his  heart, 
How  can  so  many  discorda  fi  religions  exist,  and  why  not  one 
true  religion  throughout  all  the  world,  if,  as  is  shown  above, 
the  Divine  Providence  has  for  its  end  a  heaven  out  of  the  human 
race,  n.  27 — -15?  But  hear,  I  beseech  you:  All  who  are  born 
men,  whatever  may  be  their  religion,  are  capable  of  being  saved, 
provided  they  acknowledge  a  God,  and  live  according  to  the 
commandments  of  the  Decalogue,  which  are,  not  to  kill,  not  to 
commit  adultery,  not  to  steal,  not  to  bear  false  witness,  because 

Ibr  K 

15 


253,  254 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


to  do  sucli  things  is  contrary  to  religion,  therefore  contrary  to 
God.  In  sncli  persons  there  is  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of 
their  neighbour, — the  fear  of  God,  because  they  think  that  to 
do  such  things  is  to  act  against  God  ;  and  the  love  of  their 
neighbour,  because  to  kill,  to  commit  adultery,  to  steal,  to 
bear  false  witness,  and  to  covet  their  neighbour’s  house  and  his 
wife,  is  to  act  against  their  neighbour.  These  persons,  since 
they  respect  God  in  their  lives,  and  do  no  evil  to  their  neigh¬ 
bour,  are  led  by  the  Lord ;  and  those  who  are  so  led,  are  also 
taught  according  to  their  religion  concerning  God  and  their 
neighbour  ;  for  those  who  so  live,  love  to  be  taught,  but  those 
who  live  otherwise,  do  not  love  to  be  taught.  As  they  love 
to  be  taught,  therefore,  after  death  also,  when  they  become 
spirits,  they  are  instructed  by  the  angels,  and  willingly  receive 
sucli  truths  as  are  contained  in  the  Word.  On  this  subject 
something  may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jeru¬ 
salem  concerning  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  91 — 97 ;  and 
104—113. 

254.  I.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself  against 
the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  considers  the  religions  of  various 
nations ,  and  that  there  are  some  who  are  totally  ignorant  of  a 
God ,  some  who  adore  the  sun  and  moon ,  and  some  also  who  adore 
idols  and  graven  images.  Those  who  from  these  circumstances 
deduce  arguments  against  the  Divine  Providence,  are  not  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  arcana  of  heaven,  which  are  innumerable, 
and  of  which  scarcely  any  come  to  our  knowledge :  for  among 
these  arcana  this  is  one,  that  a  man  is  not  taught  immediately 
from  heaven,  but  mediately;  on  which  subject,  see  above,  n. 
154 — 174.  Since  he  is  taught  mediately,  and  the  gospel  could 
not  by  emissaries  be  extended  to  all  who  inhabit  the  whole 
earth,  although  some  religion  could  be  handed  down  by  various 
means  even  to  the  Gentiles  who  are  in  the  remote  corners  of 
the  earth,  therefore  this  was  effected  by  the  Divine  Providence  ; 
for  no  man  has  any  religion  from  himself,  but  through  some 
other  person,  who  either  knows  from  the  Word,  or  has  learned 
by  tradition  from  others,  that  there  is  a  God,  that  there  are  a 
heaven  and  a  hell,  and  a  life  after  death,  and  that  God  is  to  be 
worshiped  in  order  that  man  may  be  made  happy.  That  religion 
lias  been  made  known  over  the  whole  earth  from  the  ancient 
Word,  and  afterwards  from  the  Israelitish  Word,  may  be  seen 
in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
Sacred  Scripture,  n.  101 — 103;  and  that  without  the  Word 
no  one  could  have  known  any  thing  of  God,  of  heaven  and  hell, 
or  of  a  life  after  death,  much  less  any  thing  of  the  Lord,  may 
be  seen,  n.  114 — 118  of  the  same  tract.  When  once  a  religion 
is  implanted  in  any  nation,  the  people  are  led  by  the  Lord  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  precepts  and  tenets  of  their  religion ;  and  the 
Lord  provides  that  in  every  religion  there  shall  be  precepts 
176 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


254 


similar  to  those  in  the  Decalogue ;  as,  that  God  should  be  wor¬ 
shiped,  and  his  name  not  profaned,  that  festivals  should  be 
observed,  parents  honoured,  murder,  adultery,  and  theft,  not  com¬ 
mitted,  and  false  testimony  not  given.  The  nation  which  makes 
these  precepts  divine,  and  from  a  principle  of  religion  lives  ac¬ 
cording  to  them,  is  saved,  as  was  said  above,  n.  253.  And 
most  of  the  nations,  which  are  even  remote  from  the  Christian 
world,  consider  these  laws,  not  as  civil,  but  as  divine,  and  hold 
them  sacred.  That  a  man  is  saved  by  a  life  according  to  these 
precepts,  may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Aew  Jeru¬ 
salem  from  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  from  beginning 
to  end.  Among  the  arcana  of  heaven  there  is  this  also, — - 
that  the  angelic  heaven  is  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  as  one  man, 
of  whom  the  Lord  is  the  soul  and  life,  and  that  this  divine 
man  is  in  every  particular  of  his  form  a  man,  not  only  as  to  his 
external,  but  also  as  to  his  internal  members  and  organs,  which 
are  many,  and  likewise  as  to  the  skin,  membranes,  cartilages, 
and  bones  :  none  however  of  these  parts  in  that  man  are  mate¬ 
rial,  but  all  are  spiritual.  And  it  is  provided  by  the  Lord, 
that  those  to  whom  the  gospel  cannot  reach,  but  only  some 
religion,  may  likewise  have  a  place  in  that  man,  that  is,  in 
heaven,  by  constituting  the  parts  called  the  skin,  membranes, 
cartilages,  and  bones ;  and  that  they  may  live  equally  as  well 
as  others  in  heavenlv  ioy  :  for  it  makes  no  difference  whether  a 
person  be  in  such  joy  as  is  experienced  by  the  angels  of  the 
Lghest  heaven,  or  in  such  as  is  experienced  by  the  angels  of  the 
lowest  heaven,  since  every  one,  who  is  received  into  heaven, 
enters  into  the  supreme  or  full  joy  of  his  heart ;  and  greater 
than  that  he  cannot  support,  for  thereby  he  would  be  suffo¬ 
cated.  The  case  is  similar  to  a  husbandman  in  comparison  with 
a  king  :  the  former  may  be  in  a  state  of  the  greatest  happiness, 
when  he  goes  clad  in  anew  suit  of  coarse  worsted  apparel,  and  sits 
down  to  a  table  furnished  with  plain  and  wholesome  food ;  and 
he  would  be  distressed  at  heart,  if  he-  were  to  be  clothed  like  a 
king  in  purple,  silk,  gold,  and  silver,  and  if  a  table  were  set 
out  for  him,  with  expensive  and  exquisite  delicacies  of  various 
kinds,  and  generous  wines.  From  which,  consideration  it  is 
evident,  that  the  last  as  well  as  the  first  in  heaven,  have  celestial 
felicity,  each  in  his  degree ;  and  consequently  that  those  also 
enjoy  such  felicity,  who  are  without  the  Christian  world,  pro- 
v  ded  they  shun  evils  as  sins  against  God,  because  they  are 
c  >ntrary  to  religion.  There  are  some  few,  who  are  totally 
15  norant  with  respect  to  God ;  but  that  these,  if  they  have  lived 
a  moral  life,  are  instructed  after  death  by  angels,  and  in  their 
moral  life  receive  a  spiritual  principle,  may  be  seen  in  the 
Doctrine  of  the  Aew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred 
Scripture,  n.  116.  It  is  the  same  with  those  who  worship  the 
f/  in  and  moon,  and  think  that  God  is  therein.  Tnev  know  m 
ITT 


254.  255 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


otherwise,  and  therefore  it  is  not  imputed  to  them  as  a  sin , 
for  the  Lord  says,  “  If  ye  were  blind,”  that  is,  if  ye  did  not 
know,  “  ye  would  have  no  sin  ”  (John  ix.  LI).  But  there  are 
many  who  worship  idols  and  images,  even  in  the  Christian 
world  ;  and  this,  indeed,  is  idolatrous,  yet  not  in  all ;  for  there 
are  some  to  whom  images  serve  as  means  of  exciting  them  tc 

o  o 

think  of  God.  Bv  virtue  of  influx  from  heaven,  those  whc 
acknowledge  God,  wish  to  see  him ;  and  those  who  cannot, 
like  those  who  are  interiorly  spiritual,  elevate  the  mind  above 
things  sensual,  awaken  in  themselves  an  idea  of  him  from  a 
statue  or  a  graven  image.  Those  who  do  this,  and  do  not  adore 
the  image  itself  as  a  god,  if  also  they  live  according  to  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  the  Decalogue  from  a  principle  of  religion,  are  saved. 
Hence  it  is  evident,  that  as  the  Lord  wills  the  salvation  of  all, 
he  has  also  provided  that  every  one,  if  he  lives  well,  may  have 
some  place  in  heaven.  That  heaven  before  the  Lord  is  as  one 
man  ;  that  thence  heaven  corresponds  to  all  and  singular  the 
things  appertaining  to  man ;  and  that  there  are  also  some  who 
represent  the  skin,  the  membranes,  cartilages,  and  bones,  may 
be  seen  in  the  work  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell,  published 
in  London  1758,  n.  59 — 102:  also  in  the  Arcana  Ccelestia,  n. 
5552 — 5556  ;  and  above,  n.  201 — 20L 

255.  II.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself  against 
the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  reflects  upon  the  Mahometan 
religion ,  and  considers  that  it  is  received  by  so  many  empires  and 
kingdoms.  That  this  religion  is  received  by  a  greater  number  of 
kingdoms  than  the  Christian  religion,  may  be  matter  of  scandal 
to  those  who  think  of  the  Divine  Providence,  and  at  the  same 
time  imagine  that  no  one  can  be  saved  except  he  be  born  a 
Christian,  and  in  a  country  where  the  TTord  is  possessed,  by 
means  of  which  the  Lord  is  known.  But  the  Mahometan  religion 
is  no  matter  of  scandal  to  those  who  believe  that  all  things  are 
of  the  Divine  Providence.  These  inquire  wherein  such  Provi¬ 
dence  can  be  traced,  and  they  discover  it.  It  is  perceived  in  this, 
that  the  Mahometan  religion  acknowledges  the  Lord  to  be  the 
Son  of  God,  the  wisest  of  men,  and  the  greatest  ot  prophets, 
who  came  into  the  world  to  teach  men  ;  and  m*st  Mahometans 
therefore  consider  the  Lord  as  greater  than  Mahomet.  That 
it  may  be  better  understood  that  this  religion  was  raised  up  by 
the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying 
the  idolatry  of  many  nations,  the  subject  shall  be  considered 
in  an  orderly  arrangement,  beginning  with  some  observations 
concerning  the  origin  of  idolatries.  Previous  to  the  religion  ol 
Mahomet,  the  worship  of  idols  was  common  over  the  whole 
earth  ;  the  reason  of  which  was,  that  the  churches,  before  the 
Lord's  coming,  were  all  representative  churches.  Such  was  the 
Israelitish  church  ;  and  the  tabernacle,  the  garments  of  Aaron, 
the  sacrifices,  all  things  appertaining  to  the  temple  at  Jerusalem, 
178 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


255 


and  also  the  statutes,  were  representative.  The  ancients  also 
understood  the  science  of  correspondences,  which  is  the  science 
of  representations,  the  peculiar  science  of  their  wise  men,  and 
was  cultivated  particularly  in  Egypt,  whence  they  had  their 
hieroglyphics.  By  this  science,  they  knew  what  was  signified 
by  animals  of  all  kinds,  what  by  trees  of  all  kinds,  and  what 
by  mountains,  hills,  rivers,  and  fountains ;  what  also  by  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars ;  and  as  all  their  divine  worship  was 
representative,  consisting  of  mere  correspondences,  therefore  they 
celebrated  it  upon  mountains  and  hills,  also  in  groves  and  gar¬ 
dens.  For  the  same  reason  they  consecrated  fountains,  turned 
their  faces  towards  the  east  in  their  adoration  of  God,  and  also 
made  themselves  carved  images  of  horses,  oxen,  calves,  lambs, 
even  of  birds,  fishes,  and  serpents,  and  placed  them  in  their 
houses  and  other  places,  in  a  certain  order,  according  to  the 
spiritual  things  of  the  church  to  which  they  corresponded  or 
which  they  represented.  They  placed  similar  things  in  their 
temples,  that  they  might  recall  to  their  memories  the  holy  things 
which  they  signified.  In  process  of  time  when  the  science  of 
correspondences  was  lost,  their  posterity  began  to  worship  the 
images  themselves  as  sacred,  not  knowing  that  their  ancestors 
saw  nothing  sacred  in  them,  and  that  they  were  only  so  according 
to  the  correspondences  they  represented  and  thence  signified. 
Thus  arose  the  idolatries  which  filled  the  whole  earth,  as  well 
Asia  with  its  adjacent  islands,  as  Africa  and  Europe.  In  order 
that  all  these  idolatries  might  be  extirpated,  it  was  permitted 
by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  that,  in  accommodation 
to  the  genius  of  the  eastern  nations,  there  should  arise  a  new 
religion,  in  which  there  might  be  something  out  of  both  Testa- 
ments  of  the  Word,  and  which  might  teach  that  the  Lord  came 
into  the  world,  that  he  was  the  greatest  prophet,  the  wisest  of 
all,  and  the  Son  of  God.  This  was  effected  by  Mahomet,  from 
whom  that  religion  is  called  the  Mahometan  religion.  It  was 
raised  up  by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  in  accommoda¬ 
tion,  as  was  observed,  to  the  genius  of  the  eastern  nations,  to 
the  end  that  it  might  destroy  the  idolatries  which  at  that  time 
so  generally  prevailed,  and  give  the  inhabitants  of  those  countries 
some  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  before  they  came  into  the  spiritual 
world ;  and  such  religion  would  not  have  been  received  by  so 
many  kingdoms,  or  have  had  power  to  extirpate  their  idolatries, 
if  it  had  not  been  accommodated  and  adapted  to  the  ideas  and 
mode  of  life  prevailing  amongst  them  all.  The  reason  why  they 
did  not  acknowledge  the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth, 
was  because  the  eastern  nations  acknowledged  a  God  the  Creator 
of  the  universe,  but  could  not  comprehend  that  he  himself  came 
into  the  world,  and  took  upon  him  the  human  nature.  Hor  is 
this  comprehended  by  Christians,  who,  therefore,  in  thought, 
separate  his  divinity  from  his  humanity,  placing  his  divinity 
179  m 


255,  256 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


beside  the  Father  in  heaven,  and  his  humanity  they  know  not 
where.  Hence  it  may  be  seen,  that  the  Mahometan  religion 
also  had  its  origin  in  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  ;  and 
that  all  persons  of  that  religion,  who  acknowledge  the  Lord  as 
the  Son  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  live  according  to  the 
precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  which  they  also  possess,  by  shunning 
evils  as  sins,  are  received  into  that  heaven  which  is  called  the 
Mahometan  heaven.  This  is  also  divided  into  three  heavens, — 
the  supreme,  middle,  and  lowest.  In  the  supreme  heaven  are 
those  who  acknowledge  the  Lord  to  be  one  with  the  Father, 
and  consequently  to  be  the  only  God ;  in  the  second  heaven, 
those  who  renounce  a  plurality  of  wives,  and  live  with  one 
only ;  and  in  the  ultimate  heaven,  those  who  are  initiated. 
More  concerning  this  religion  may  be  seen  in  The  Conti- 

NUATION  CONCERNING  THE  LAST  JUDGMENT  AND  THE  SPIRITUAL 

World,  n.  68 — 72,  where  the  Mahometans  and  Mahomet  are 
treated  of. 

256.  III.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence ,  when  he  sees  that  the  Christian 
religion  is  received  only  in  the  smallest  quarter  of  the  habitable 
globe ,  called  Europe ,  and  that  there  it  is  divided.  The  reason 
why  the  Christian  religion  is  established  only  in  the  smallest 
quarter  of  the  habitable  globe,  called  Europe,  is,  because  it  was 
not  so  well  accommodated  to  the  genius  of  the  eastern  nations, 
an  the  Mahometan  religion  which  is  mixed,  as  was  shown  above ; 
and  a  religion  is  not  received  by  those  to  whom  it  is  not  accom¬ 
modated.  For  example  :  a  religion  which  forbids  the  having  of 
more  than  one  wife,  is  not  received,  but  rejected,  by  those  who 
for  some  ages  back  have  been  addicted  to  polygamy ;  and  it  is 
the  same  with  respect  to  some  other  things  prohibited  by  the 
Christian  religion.  Hor  does  it  signify  whether  it  be  received 
by  a  greater  or  a  smaller  part  of  the  world,  provided  there  be  a 
people  who  are  in  possession  of  the  Word:  for  thence  light  is 
received  even  by  those  who  are  out  of  the  church,  and  have  not 
the  Word,  as  is  shown  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jeru¬ 
salem  concerning  THE  Sacred  Scripture,  ii.  101 — 113  ;  and 
what  is  wonderful,  where  the  Word  is  read  with  devotion,  and 
the  Lord  is  worshiped  from  the  Word,  there  the  Lord  is,  with 
heaven.  The  reason  is,  because  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  and  the 
Word  is  divine  truth,  which  constitutes  heaven  ;  and  therefore 
the  Lord  says,  “  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in 
my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them”  (Matt,  xviii.  20). 
This  may  be  effected  with  the  Word  by  the  Europeans  in  many 
parts  of  the  habitable  globe,  because  they  have  communication 
with  the  whole  world;  and  either  read  the  Word  or  teach  from 
it  everywhere.  This  may  appear  like  a  fiction,  but  it  is  never¬ 
theless  true.  The  reason  why  the  Christian  religion  is  divided, 
is,  because  it  is  derived  from  the  Word,  which  is  written  by 
ISO 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


256,  257 


mere  correspondences,  and  correspondences  are  for  the  most 
part  appearances  of  truth,  in  which,  nevertheless,  genuine 
truths  lie  concealed.  Therefore,  as  the  doctrine  of  the  church 
is  to  be  drawn  from  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  which  is  ot 
such  a  nature,  there  could  not  but  exist  in  the  church  disputes, 
controversies,  and  dissensions,  with  respect  especially  to  the 
meaning  of  the  Word,  but  not  with  respect  to  the  Word  itself, 
and  the  Lord’s  divinity  itself ;  for  it  is  everywhere  acknowledged 
that  the  Word  is  holy,  and  that  the  Lord  is  Divin  q  and  these 
two  are  the  essentials  of  the  church ;  therefore,  als<  ,  those  who 
deny  the  Lord’s  divinity,  as  those  who  are  called  Sccinians,  are 
excommunicated  from  the  church ;  and  those  win.  deny  the 
sanctity  of  the  Word,  are  not  reputed  as  Christians.  To  this  I 
will  add  a  memorable  circumstance  relating  to  the  W  ord,  from 
which  it  may  be  concluded,  that  the  Word  interiorly  is  divine 
truth  itself,  and  most  interiorly  the  Lord.  When  a.iy  spirit 
opens  the  Word,  and  rubs  his  face  or  his  clothes  with  it,  then, 

the 


merely  by  being  rubbed  with  it,  they  shine  as 


bright 


as 


moon  or  a  star,  and  this  in  the  sight  of  all  whom  he  meexs  :  this 
is  a  proof  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  more  holy  than  the 
W  ord.  That  the  Word  is  written  by  mere  correspondences, 
may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concern¬ 
ing  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  5 — 26  ;  that  the  doctrine  ot  the 
church  is  to  be  deduced  from  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  and 
confirmed  by  it,  n.  50 — 61 ;  that  heresies  may  be  derived  from 
the  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  but  that  to  confirm  them  is 
hurtful,  n.  91 — 97;  and  that  the  church  exists  from  the  Woid, 
and  that  its  quality  is 
Word,  n.  76—79. 


according  to  its 


understanding  of  tl  e 


257.  IY.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence ,  because  in  many  kingdoms, 
ivhere  the  Christian  religion  is  received ,  there  cere  some  who 
claim  to  themselves  divine  'power ,  and  desire  to  be  worshiped 
as  gods } ;  and  because  they  invoke  dead  men.  They  say,  indeed, 
that  they  have  not  arrogated  to  themselves  divine  power,  and 
that  they  do  not  desire  to  be  worshiped  as  gods ;  but  yet  they 
say  that  they  can  open  and  shut  heaven,  and  remit  and  retain 
sins,  consequently  can  save  and  condemn  men,  which  is  the  pre¬ 
rogative  of  divinity  itself;  for  the  Divine  Providence  has  nothing 
for  its  end  but  the  reformation  and  thereby  the  salvation  of  man¬ 
kind.  This  is  its  continual  operation  with  every  one ;  and  sal¬ 
vation  cannot  be  effected  except  by  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
Lord’s  divinity,  and  confidence  that  it  is  wrought  by  him,  when 
a  man  lives  according  to  his  commandments.  Who  cannot  see 
that  this  is  the  Babvlon  described  in  the  Revelation,  and  the 
Babel  treated  of  in  many  parts  of  the  prophets  ?  That  this  also 
is  meant  by  Lucifer  in  Isaiah  xiv.  is  evident  from  the  4th  and 
22d  verses  of  that  chapter,  in  which  are  the  following  words : 


181 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


257 

“Thou  shalt  take  up  this  proverb  against  the  king  of  Babylon” 
(verse  4) :  afterwards,  “  I  will  cut  off  from  Babylon  the  name  and 
remnant”  (verse  22)  ;  from  which  it  is  evident,  that  Babylon  is 
there  signified  by  Lucifer,  of  whom  it  is  said,  “  How  art  thou 
fallen  from  heaven,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the  morning!  For  thou 
hast  said  in  thy  heart,  I  will  ascend  into  heaven  ;  I  will  exalt 
my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God :  I  will  sit  also  upon  the 
mount  of  the  congregation,  in  the  sides  of  the  north:  I  will 
ascend  abov  3  the  heights  of  the  clouds  :  I  will  be  like  the  Most 
High”  (verses  12, 13, 14).  That  they  invoke  dead  men,  and  pray 
to  them  foi  succour,  is  well  known.  It  is  affirmed  that  they 
invoke  the  n,  because  the  invocation  of  them  is  established  by 
a  papal  bi  il,  confirming  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  in 
which  it  's  openly  said  that  they  are  to  be  invoked  :  yet  who 
does  not  know  that  God  alone  ought  to  be  invoked,  and  not 
any  dead  man  ?  But  it  shall  now  be  stated  why  the  Lord  per¬ 
mitted  s  ach  things.  That  he  permitted  them  for  a  certain  end, 
which  is  salvation,  cannot  be  denied ;  for  it  is  well  known,  that 
without  the  Lord  there  is  no  salvation.  This  being  the  case, 
there  was  a  necessity  that  the  Lord  should  be  preached  from  the 
Word,  and  the  Christian  church  thereby  established ;  but  this 
could  not  be  effected  except  by  leaders  who  should  act  with 
zeal ;  and  there  were  no  others  qualified,  than  such  as  were 
healed,  as  it  were,  with  zeal,  from  the  fire  of  self-love.  This 
fire  first  excited  them  to  preach  the  Lord  and  teach  the  Word; 
and  from  this  their  primitive  state  it  is,  that  Lucifer  is  called 
the  son  of  the  morning  (verse  12).  But  as  they  came  to  see, 
that  they  should  be  able  to  obtain  dominion  by  means  of  the 
holy  things  of  the  Word  and  the  church,  self-love,  by  which 
they  were  first  excited  to  preach  the  Lord,  broke  out  from 
within,  and  at  length  exalted  itself  to  such  a  height,  that  they 
transferred  all  the  divine  power  of  the  Lord  to  themselves,  not 
leaving  him  any.  This  could  not  be  prevented  by  the  Divine 
Providence  of  the  Lord ;  for  had  it  been  prevented,  they  would 
have  proclaimed  the  Lord  not  to  be  God,  and  the  Word  not  to 
be  sacred,  and  would  have  become  Socinians  or  Arians,  and 
thus  have  destroyed  the  whole  church  ;  which,  whatever  may  be 
the  character  of  its  rulers,  still  remains  among  the  people  who 
are  under  them.  For  all  those  of  that  religion  also,  who  ap¬ 
proach  the  Lord,  and  shun  evils  as  sins,  are  saved  ;  for  which 
reason  there  are  many  celestial  societies  from  them  in  the  spiritual 
world  ;  and  it  is  also  provided,  that  there  should  be  among  them 
a  nation  which  has  not  submitted  to  the  yoke  of  such  a  do¬ 
minion,  and  which  considers  the  Word  as  sacred.  This  is  the 
noble  French  nation.  But  what  was  the  consequence  ?  When 
self-love,  which  is  Lucifer,  had  exalted  its  dominion  even  unto 
the  throne  of  the  Lord,  had  removed  him  thence,  and  placed 
itself  upon  it}  it  could  not  do  otherwise  than  profane  all  things 
182 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


257,  258 


appertaining  to  the  Word  and  the  church;  and  to  prevent  this, 
the  Lord  so  ordered  it  of  his  Divine  Providence,  that  those  who 
were  under  its  influence  should  depart  from  the  worship  of  him, 
invoke  dead  men,  pray  to  their  images,  kiss  their  bones,  prostrate 
themselves  at  their  sepulchres,  forbid  the  Word  to  be  read,  place 
the  sanctity  of  divine  worship  in  masses  not  understood  by  the 
vulgar,  and  sell  salvation  for  money;  because,  if  they  had  not 
done  these  things,  they  would  have  profaned  the  holy  things  of 
the  Word  and  the  church;  for,  as  was  shown  in  the  preceding 
paragraph,  none  can  profane  things  sacred  but  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  them.  Therefore,  that  they  may  not  profane 
the  most  holy  supper,  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence  of  the 
Lord  that  they  should  divide  it,  giving  the  bread  to  the  people, 
and  drinking  the  wine  themselves ;  for  the  wine  in  the  holy 
supper  signifies  holy  truth,  and  the  bread,  holy  good ;  but  when 
they  are  divided,  the  wine  signifies  truth  profane,  and  the  bread 
good  adulterated.  It  is  provided,  also,  that  they  should  make 
it  corporeal  and  material,  and  account  this  doctrine  to  be  a 
primary  tenet  of  religion.  lie  who  attends  to  these  particulars, 
and  considers  them  in  some  illumination  of  mind,  may  see  the 
wonderful  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence,  in  guarding  the 
holy  things  of  the  church,  and  saving  all  who  are  capable  of 
being  saved,  snatching  as  it  were  out  of  the  fire  those  who  will 
suffer  themselves  to  be  snatched  away. 

258.  Y.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence  from  this  circumstance ,  that 
among  those  who  profess  the  Christian  religion ,  there  are  some 
who  place  salvation  in  certain  words  which  they  think  and  speak , 
and  not  in  any  good  they  do.  That  persons  of  this  description 
are  such  as  make  salvation  to  consist  in  faith  alone,  and  not  in  a 
life  of  charity,  consequently,  who  separate  faith  from  charity,  is 
shown  in  The  Doctrine  of  the  Yew  Jerusalem  concerning 
Faith  ;  and  also,  that  they  are  meant  in  the  Word  by  the  Philis¬ 
tines,  the  dragon,  and  the  goats.  That  such  a  doctrine  is  also 
permitted,  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  in  order  that  the  Lord’s 
divinity  and  the  sanctity  of  the  Word  might  not  be  profaned. 
The  Lord’s  divinity  is  not  profaned,  when  salvation  is  placed  in 
the  uttering  of  these  words,  “  That  God  the  Father  will  have 
mercy  for  the  sake  of  his  Son,  who  suffered  on  the  cross,  and 
made  satisfaction  for  us ;”  for  by  using  this  form  of  words,  they 
do  not  approach  the  Lord’s  divinity,  but  his  humanity,  which 
they  do  not  acknowledge  to  be  divine.  The  Word  also  is  not 
profaned ;  because  they  do  not  attend  to  those  passages  where 
mention  is  made  of  love  and  charity,  of  doing  good,  and  of 
works.  All  these,  thev  sav,  are  contained  in  the  faith  of  the 
above  form  of  words  ;  and  those  who  confirm  themselves  herein, 
say  to  themselves,  The  law  d  jes  not  condemn  me,  nor  therefore 
does  evil ;  and  good  does  not  save  me,  because  good  from  myself 
183  '  * 


258 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


is  not  good ;  therefore  they  are  like  those  who  do  not  know  any 
truth  from  the  Word,  and  on  that  account  cannot  profane  it. 
But  faith  in  the  above  form  of  words  is  not  confirmed  by  any 
except  those  who  from  self-love  are  in  the  pride  of  self-derived 
intelligence,  and  who  are  not  Christians  in  their  hearts,  but 
onlv  desire  to  seem  such.  That  nevertheless  the  Lord’s  Divine 


Providence  continually  operates  for  the  salvation  of  those  with 
whom  faith  separated  from  charity  is  made  the  ground  of  reli¬ 
gion,  shall  now  be  shown.  It  is  of  the  Lord’s  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  that  although  religion  is  made  to  consist  in  this  faith, 
still  every  one  knows  that  such  faith  does  not  save,  but  a  life  of 
charity  with  which  faith  acts  as  one :  for  in  all  the  churches 


where  this  religion  is  received,  it  is  taught,  that  there  is  no 
salvation,  except  a  man  examine  himself,  perceive  his  sins,  ac¬ 
knowledge  them,  repent,  desist  from  them,  and  lead  a  new  life. 
This  is  read  with  much  zeal  before  all  those  who  approach  the 
holy  supper;  and  it  is  added,  that  unless  they  do  this,  thev 
mix  things  holy  and  profane,  and  cast  themselves  into  eternal 
damnation;  and  in  England,  indeed,  that  unless  they  do  this, 
the  devil  will  enter  into  them  as  he  did  into  Judas,  and  destroy 
them  both  soul  and  bodv.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  everv  one 


in  the  churches  where  faith  alone  is  received,  is  nevertheless 
taught  that  evils  are  to  be  shunned  as  sins.  Everv  one  also 
who  is  born  a  Christian,  knows  that  evils  are  to  be  shunned  as 
sins,  because  the  Decalogue  is  put  into  the  hands  of  every  boy 
and  girl,  and  is  taught  by  parents  and  masters.  All  the  subjects 
of  a  kingdom,  likewise,  particularly  the  common  people,  are 
examined  by  the  priest,  out  of  the  Decalogue,  which  they  have 
learned  by  heart,  what  they  know  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
are  admonished  to  do  the  things  therein  contained.  At  such 
times,  thev  are  never  told  by  any  priest  that  thev  are  not  under 
the  voke  of  that  law,  or  that  thev  cannot  do  the  things  therein 

t/  7  O 

commanded,  because  they  cannot  do  any  good  from  themselves. 
The  Athanasian  Creed  is  also  received  by  the  whole  Christian 
world ;  and  what  is  said  in  the  last  part  of  it  is  acknowledged, 
namely,  that  the  Lord  will  come  to  judge  both  the  quick  and 
the  dead,  when  those  who  have  done  good  will  enter  into  ever¬ 
lasting  life,  and  those  who  have  done  evil  into  everlasting 
fire.  In  Sweden,  where  the  religion  of  faith  alone  is  received, 
it  is  also  plainly  taught,  that  there  is  no  faith  separate  from 
charity,  or  without  good  works  ;  and  in  a  certain  memorial 
annexed  and  inserted  in  all  the  books  of  the  Psalms,  which  is 


entitled  Impediments  or  Stumbling  Blocks  to  the  Impenitent 
(Obotferdigas  Eoerhinder),  there  are  these  words :  “  Those 
who  are  rich  in  good  works  show  thereby  that  they  are  rich  in 
faith,  because  when  faith  is  saving  it  operates  by  charity ;  tor 
justifying  faith  never  exists  alone  and  separate  from  good  works ; 
as  there  is  no  good  tree  without  fruit,  no  sun  without  light  and 
lSi 


THE  DIVINE  PEOVIDEXCE. 


258,  259 


heat,  and  no  water  without  moisture.”  These  few  things  are  ad¬ 
duced  that  it  may  be  known,  that  although  the  religion  of  faith 
alone  is  received,  vet  the  goods  of  charity,  which  are  good 
works,  are  everywhere  taught;  and  that  this  is  of  the  Lord’s 
Divine  Providence,  lest  the  common  people  should  thereby  be 
seduced.  I  have  heard  Luther,  with  whom  I  have  sometimes 
conversed  in  the  spiritual  world,  curse  Solifidianism,  and  say, 
that  when  he  established  it,  he  was  warned  by  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  not  to  do  it ;  but  that  he  thought  within  himself,  that  if 
he  did  not  reject  works,  no  separation  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  would  be  effected;  for  which  reason  he  confirmed  that 
faith,  contrary  to  the  warning  he  had  received. 

v  O 

259.  Y I.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence ,  because  there  have  been ,  and  still 
erne,  so  many  heresies  in  the  Christian  worlds  such  as  those  of  the 
Quakers,  Moravians,  Anabaptists ,  and  others  ‘  for  he  can  think 
within  himself,  that  if  the  Divine  Providence,  by  means  of  its 
operation  in  every  particular,  were  universal,  and  had  in  view 
the  salvation  of  all,  it  would  have  established  one  true  religion 
throughout  the  world,  and  not  have  suffered  it  to  be  divided, 
much  less  torn  to  pieces  by  heresies.  But  use  your  reason,  and, 
if  you  are  able,  reflect  with  more  elevation  of  mind ;  then  tell 
me,  can  a  man  be  saved  unless  he  be  first  reformed  ?  For  he  is 
born  into  the  love  of  self  and  of  the  world ;  and  as  these  loves 
do  not  contain  in  them  any  love  towards  God,  or  towards  h's 
neighbour,  except  for  the  sake  of  self,  he  is  also  born  into  all 
kinds  of  evils :  for,  is  there  a  single  spark  of  love  or  mercy  in 
those  loves  ?  Does  he  make  any  account  of  defrauding  another, 
blaspheming  him,  hating  him  even  to  death,  committing  adu  1- 
terv  with  his  wife,  and  raging  against  him  when  he  is  in  a 
revengeful  humour  '  because  as  the  thing  nearest  to  his  heart  is, 
that  he  may  be  supreme  over  all,  he  consequently  considers 
others  in  comparison  with  himself  as  vile,  and  of  no  estimation. 
In  order  that  such  a  one  may  be  saved,  must  he  not  first  be 
drawn  away  from  these  evils,  and  so  be  reformed  ?  That  this 
cannot  be  effected  except  in  conformity  to  several  laws,  which 
are  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence,  is  fully  shown  above.  These 
laws  are  for  the  most  part  unknown,  and  yet  they  are  laws  of 
the  divine  wisdom,  and  at  the  same  time  of  the  divine  love, 
against  which  the  Lord  cannot  act ;  for  to  act  against  them, 
would  be  to  destroy  man,  and  not  to  save  him.  Read  over  again 
the  laws  which  have  been  adduced,  consider  them,  and  you  will 
perceive  this.  Since  therefore  it  is  conformable  to  those  laws, 
that  there  should  not  be  any  immediate  influx  from  heaven,  but 
mediate  through  the  Word,  through  doctrines  and  preachings; 
and  since  the  Word,  that  it  might  be  divine,  could  not  be 
written  except  by  mere  correspondences,  it  follows,  that  dissen¬ 
sions  and  heresies  are  inevitable,  and  that  the  permission  o f 
185 


259,  2G0  ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 

these  is  also  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence ; 
especially,  when  the  church  itself  had  assumed  for  its  essentials 
such  things  as  belong  to  the  understanding  only,  thus  to  doc¬ 
trine  ;  and  not  to  the  will,  thus  to  the  conduct  of  life.  When 
the  things  which  have  relation  to  life  are  not  made  essentials  of 
the  church,  then  a  man  with  respect  to  his  understanding  is  in 
mere  darkness,  and  gropes  about  like  a  blind  man,  who  is  ever 
stumbling,  and  falling  into  ditches ;  for  the  will  must  see  in  the 
understanding,  and  not  the  understanding  in  the  will ;  or,  what 
amounts  to  the  same,  the  life  and  its  love' must  lead  the  under¬ 
standing  to  think,  speak,  and  act,  and  not  the  contrary ;  for 
were  the  contrary  the  case,  the  understanding  might  from  an 
evil,  and  even  from  a  diabolical  love,  catch  at  whatever  might 
impress  the  senses,  and  enjoin  the  will  to  do  it.  From  these 
considerations  it  may  be  seen  whence  dissensions  and  heresies 
exist.  It  is  however  provided,  that  every  one,  in  whatever 
heresy  he  may  be  with  respect  to  his  understanding,  may  still 
be  reformed  and  saved,  provided  he  shuns  evils  as  sins,  and 
does  not  confirm  heretical  falsities  in  himself;  for  by  shunning 
evils  as  sins  the  will  is  reformed,  and  by  the  will  the  under¬ 
standing,  which  then  first  emerges  out  of  darkness  into  light. 
There  are  three  essentials  of  the  church, — an  acknowledgment 
of  the  Lord’s  divinity,  an  acknowledgment  of  the  holiness  of 
the  Word,  and  the  life  which  is  called  charity.  Every  man’s 
faith  is  conformable  to  his  life,  that  is,  his  charity.  From  the 
Word  he  has  a  knowledge  of  what  his  life  ought  to  be,  and 
from  the  Lord  he  has  reformation  and  salvation.  If  these  three 
had  been  held  as  essentials  of  the  church,  intellectual  dissen¬ 
sions  would  not  have  divided  it,  but  only  have  varied  it;  as  the 
light  varies  colours  in  beautiful  objects,  and  as  a  variety  of  jewels 
constitutes  the  beauty  of  a  kingly  crown. 

260.  VII.  That  the  merely  natural  man  confirms  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence ,  because  Judaism  still  continues  / 
that  is,  because  the  Jews,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  ages,  are 
not  converted,  although  they  live  among  Christians,  and  do  not 
according  to  the  predictions  in  the  Word  confess  the  Lord,  and 
acknowledge  him  as  the  Messiah,  who,  as  they  imagine,  is  to 
lead  them  back  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  but  constantly  persist 
in  denying  him,  and  yet  it  continues  well  with  them.  But 
those  who  think  thus,  and  for  that  reason  call  in  question  the 
Divine  Providence,  do  not  know  that  by  the  Jews  in  the  Word 
are  meant  all  who  are  of  the  church  and  acknowledge  the  Lord, 
and  that  by  the  land  of  Canaan,  into  which  it  is  said  they  are 
to  be  introduced,  is  meant  the  Lord’s  church.  The  reason, 
however,  why  they  persevere  in  denying  the  Lord,  is,  because 
they  are  of  such  a  disposition,  that  if  they  were  to  receive  and 
acknowledge  the  Lord’s  divinity,  and  the  holy  things  of  his 
church,  they  wTould  profane  them ;  therefore  the  Lord  says  of 
1 86 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


260—  262 


them,  “  He  hath  blinded  their  eves,  and  hardened  their  heart ; 
that  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  or  understand  with 
their  heart,  and  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them”  (John 
xii.  JO  ;  Matt.  xiii.  Id;  Mark  iv.  12;  Luke  viii.  10  ;  Isaiah  vi. 
9,  10).  It  is  said,  lest  they  should  be  converted,  and  I  should 
heal  them,  because  if  they  had  been  converted  and  healed,  they 
would  have  been  guilty  of  profanation ;  and  it  is  a  law  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  as  was  shown  above,  n.  221 — 233,  that  no 
one  is  interiorly  admitted  by  the  Lord  into  the  truths  of  faith 
and  the  goods  of  charity,  except  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept  in 
them  to  the  end  of  life ;  and  were  it  not  so,  he  would  profane 
things  holy.  This  nation  is  preserved,  and  scattered  over  a 
great  part  of  the  earth,  for  the  sake  of  the  Word  in  its  original 
language,  which  they  hold  more  sacred  than  Christians  do ;  and 
in  every  particular  of  the  Word  is  the  divinity  of  the  Lord,  for 
it  is  divine  truth  united  to  divine  good,  which  proceeds  from  the 
Lord,  and  by  which  the  Word  is  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord 
with  the  church  and  the  presence  of  heaven,  as  is  shown  in 
Tiie  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred 
Scripture,  n.  62 — 69  ;  and  there  is  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
and  of  heaven  wherever  the  Word  is  read  with  devotion.  This 
is  the  end  which  the  Divine  Providence  has  in  view,  in  preserv¬ 
ing  and  dispersing  them  over  a  great  part  of  the  world.  What 
is  the  nature  of  their  lot  after  death,  may  be  seen  in  The  Con¬ 
tinuation  CONCERNING  THE  LAST  JUDGMENT  AND  THE  SpIRITUAI 

World,  n.  19 — 82. 

/ 

261.  These  then  are  the  circumstances  adduced  above,  n. 
218,  by  which  the  natural  man  does  or  may  confirm  himself 
against  the  Divine  Providence  :  there  follow  some  others,  men¬ 
tioned  above,  n.  239,  which  may  also  serve  the  natural  man  as 
arguments  against  the  Divine  Providence,  and  may  likewise 
o^cur  to  the  minds  of  others,  and  suggest  some  doubts;  these 
are, — 

262.  I.  That  a  doubt  may  be  inferred  against  the  Divine 
Providence ,  because  the  whole  Christian  world  worship  God  under 
three  persons,  which  is,  three  gods  ;  and  because  hitherto  they  have 
not  known  that  God  is  one  in  person  and  in  essence,  in  ivhom 
there  is  a  trinity,  and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord.  The  reasoner 
concerning  the  Divine  Providence  may  say,  Are  not  three 
persons  three  Gods,  when  each  person  by  himself  is  God  ?  Who 
can  think  otherwise ;  or  who,  indeed,  does  think  otherwise  ? 
Athanasius  himself  could  not  think  otherwise  ;  and  therefore,  in 
the  creed  which  has  its  name  from  him,  he  says,  u  As  we  are 
compelled  by  the  Christian  verity  to  acknowledge  every  person 
by  himself  to  be  God  and  Lord,  so  are  we  forbidden  by  the 
Catholic  religion  to  say  there  be  three  Gods  or  three  Lords ;” 
by  which  words  nothing  else  can  be  understood,  than  that  we 
ought  to  acknowledge  three  Gods  and  three  Lords,  but  that  we 

187 


262 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


ought  not  to  say  there  are  three  Gods  and  three  Lords.  Wh: 

c  ts 

can  possibly  have  a  perception  of  one  God,  who  is  not  also  one 
in  person ?  If  it  be  alleged,  that  it  is  possible  to  have  such  a 
perception,  provided  you  think  that  the  three  persons  have  one 
essence, — who  from  thence  does  or  can  perceive  any  thing  else, 
than  that  in  such  case  they  are  unanimous,  and  consenting 
but  vet  that  they  are  three  Gods  ?  and  if  a  man  elevates  his 
thoughts,  he  says  within  himself,  How  can  the  divine  essence, 
which  is  infinite,  be  divided?  and  how  can  it  from  eternity 
beget  another,  and  even  produce  a  third,  who  proceeds  from 
both  ?  It  may  be  said,  that  this  is  to  be  believed,  and  ought 
not  to  be  thought  of ;  but  who  does  not  think  of  that  which  he 
is  told  he  ought  to  believe  ?  and  how  otherwise  can  there  be 
any  acknowledgment,  which  is  the  essence  of  faith  ?  Did  not 
Socinianism  and  Arianism,  which  reign  in  the  hearts  of  more 
people  than  you  imagine,  take  their  rise  from  thinking  of  God 
as  of  three  persons?  A  belief  in  one  God,  and  that  that  one 
God  is  the  Lord,  constitutes  the  church ;  for  in  him  there  is  a 
divine  trinity.  That  this  is  true,  may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine 
of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord,  from  beginning 
to  end.  But  what  is  thought  of  the  Lord  at  this  day?  Is  it 
not  thought  that  he  is  God  and  man, — God  from  Jehovah  his 
Father,  of  whom  he  was  conceived,  and  man  from  the  Virgin 
Mary,  of  whom  he  was  born  ?  Mho  thinks,  that  God  and  man 
iu  him,  or  his  divinity  and  his  humanity,  are  one  person,  and 
that  they  are  one  as  the  soul  and  body  are  one?  Does  any 
one  know  this  ?  Ask  the  doctors  of  the  church,  and  they  will 
say  that  they  have  not  known  it,  when,  nevertheless,  it  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church  received  throughout  the  whole  Christian 
world,  which  is  as  follows :  u  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  is  God  and  man ;  and  although  he  be  God  and  man, 
yet  he  is  not  two,  but  one  Christ ;  one,  by  taking  of  the  manhood 
into  God ;  one  altogether,  by  unity  of  person ;  for  as  the  soul 
and  flesh  is  one  man,  so  God  and  man  is  one  Christ.”  This  is 
taken  from  the  creed  of  Athanasius.  The  reason  why  they  have 

ts  ts 

not  known  it,  is,  because  when  they  read  it,  they  did  not  think 

c J  /  t/ 

of  the  Lord  as  God,  but  only  as  a  man.  If  the  same  be  asked 
whether  they  know  of  whom  he  was  conceived, — whether  of 
God  the  Father,  or  of  his  own  divinity, — they  will  answer  that 
he  was  conceiyed  of  God  the  Father,  for  this  is  according  to 
Scripture.  Are  not  the  Father  and  he  one  then,  as  the  soul  and 
body  are  one  ?  Mho  can  think  that  he  was  conceiyed  of  two 
divinities,  and  if  of  liis  own  divinity,  that  this  was  his  Father  ? 
If  you  ask  them  again,  Mhat  is  your  idea  of  the  Lord's  divinity, 
and  what  of  his  humanity  ?  they  will  say  that  his  divinity  is 
from  the  essence  of  the  Father,  and  his  humanity  from  the 
essence  of  the  mother,  and  that  his  divinity  is  with  the  Father. 
If  you  then  ask,  where  is  his  humanity,  they  will  make  no 
1S8 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


262 


answer ;  for  tliey  separate  in  idea  his  divinity  from  his  human 
ity,  and  make  his  divinity  equal  to  that  of  the  Father,  and  his 
humanitv  similar  to  that  of  another  man  ;  not  knowing,  that  in 
so  doing,  they  also  separate  soul  and  body ;  nor  seeing  the 
contradiction,  that  in  this  case  he  would  have  been  born  a  ra¬ 
tional  man  from  the  mother  alone.  In  consequence  of  the  idea 
entertained  concerning  the  Lord’s  humanity,  that  it  was  like 
that  of  another  man,  it  is  now  come  to  pass,  that  a  Christian 
cannot  without  difficulty  be  led  to  think  of  A  Divine  Human 
Being ,  although  it  should  be  said  that  the  Lord’s  soul  or  life 
was  from  conception,  and  is,  Jehovah  himself.  Collect  these 
reasons  now,  and  consider  whether  there  be  any  other  God  of 
the  universe  than  the  Lord  alone,  in  whom  is  the  all-creating 
Divine  itself  which  is  called  the  Father,  the  Divine  Human 
which  is  called  the  Son,  and  the  Divine  Proceeding  which  is 
called  the  Holy  Spirit ;  thus,  that  God  is  one  in  person  and  in 
essence,  and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord.  If  you  insist  and  say  , 
that  the  Lord  himself  named  three  in  Matthew,  saying,  “  Go  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost”  (xxviii.  19) ;  I  answer,  it  is 
evident  from  the  preceding  and  following  verses,  that  he  said 
this,  in  order  that  it  might  be  known  that  in  himself  now  glori¬ 
fied  there  was  a  divine  trinitv.  In  the  verse  immediately  pre- 
ceding,  he  says,  that  all  power  was  given  to  him  in  heaven  and 
in  earth ;  and  in  the  succeeding  verse,  that  he  would  be  with 
them  until  the  consummation  of  the  age ;  consequently,  he  speaks 
of  himself  alone,  and  not  of  three.  How,  with  respect  to  the 
Divine  Providence,  and  the  reason  why  it  has  permitted  Chris¬ 
tians  to  worship  one  God  under  three  persons,  which  amounts  to 
the  same  as  three  Gods,  and  that  hitherto  they  have  not  known 
that  God  is  one  in  person  and  essence,  in  whom  there  is  a  trinity, 
and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord, — the  reason  does  not  exist  in 
the  Lord,  but  in  man  himself.  The  Lord  taught  it  manifestly 
in  his  Word,  as  may  appear  from  all  the  passages  quoted  in 
The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord  , 
and  he  also  taught  it  in  the  doctrine  of  all  the  churches,  in 
which  it  is  insisted  that  his  divinity  and  his  humanity  are  not 
two,  but  one  person,  united  like  soul  and  body.  But  the  reason 
why  thev  divided  his  divinity  and  humanity,  and  made  his 
divinity  equal  to  that  of  Jehovah  the  Father,  and  his  humanity 
equal  to  that  of  another  man,  was,  because  the  church  aftei  its 
establishment  lapsed  into  Babylon,  which  transferred  to  itself 
the  divine  power  of  the  Lord ;  yet,  that  it  might  not  be  called 
divine  power,  but  human,  they  made  the  Lord’s  humanity  simi¬ 
lar  to  that  of  another  man.  Afterwards  also,  when  the  church 
was  reformed,  and  faith  alone  received  as  the  only  means  of 
salvation  (which  is,  that  God  the  Father  would  have  mercy  for 
the  sake  of  his  Son),  the  Lord’s  humanity  could  not  be  viewed 
1S9 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


262,  263 

in  an}"  other  light.  The  reason  why  it  could  not,  is,  that  no  one 
can  approach  the  Lord,  and  acknowledge  him  in  his  heart  as 
the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  bat  he  who  lives  according  to  his 
commandments.  In  the  spiritual  world,  where  every  one  is 
obliged  to  speak  as  he  thinks,  no  one  can  even  name  Jesus,  un¬ 
less  he  has  lived  in  the  world  as  a  Christian ;  and  this  from  his 
Divine  Providence,  lest  his  name  should  be  profaned. 

263.  But  in  order  that  what  has  now  been  said  may  appear 
more  clearly,  I  will  add  what  is  adduced  in  The  Doctrine  of 
the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Lord,  towards  the  end, 
n.  60,  61,  which  is  as  follows:  “That  God  and  man  in  the 
Lord  are,  according  to  the  doctrine  stated,  not  two,  but  one 
person,  and  altogether  one,  as  the  soul  and  body  are  one,  ap¬ 
pears  clearly  from  many  declarations  of  the  Lord  himself;  as, 
that  the  Father  and  he  are  one;  that  all  things  of  the  Father 
are  his,  and  all  his  the  Father’s ;  that  he  is  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  him ;  that  all  things  are  given  into  his  hand ; 
that  he  has  all  power;  that  he  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth ; 
that  he  who  believes  in  him  has  eternal  life  ;  and  that  the  wrath 
of  God  abides  on  him  who  does  not  believe  in  him :  moreover, 
that  he  ascended  into  heaven,  both  as  to  his  divinity  and  his 
humanity,  and  that,  with  respect  to  both,  he  sits  on  the  right 
hand  of  God,  which  means  that  he  is  Almighty ;  besides  many 
passages  from  the  Word,  concerning  his  divine  humanity,  which 
are  copiously  quoted  in  the  former  part  of  this  work,  and  all  of 
which  testify,  that  God  is  one  as  well  in  person  as  in  essence , 
that  in  him  is  a  trinity ,  and  that  that  God  is  the  Lord.  The 
reason  why  these  things  relative  to  the  Lord  are  now  for  the 
first  time  made  publicly  known,  is,  because  it  is  foretold  in  the 
Bevelation  (xxi.  and  xxii.)  that  a  new  church,  in  which  this 
doctrine  will  hold  the  chief  place,  should  be  established  by  the 
Lord  at  the  end  of  the  former.  This  church  is  what  is  meant 
by  the  Hew  Jerusalem  there  mentioned,  into  which  none  can 
enter  but  those  who  acknowledge  the  Lord  alone  as  the  God  of 
heaven  and  earth  :  therefore  this  church  is  there  called  the  wife 
of  the  Lamb.  I  am  also  enabled  to  declare,  that  the  universal 
heaven  acknowledges  the  Lord  alone ;  and  that  whoever  does 
not  acknowledge  him  is  not  admitted  therein.  For  heaven  de¬ 
rives  all  that  makes  it  heaven  solely  from  the  Lord ;  and  it  is 
the  acknowledgment  of  this,  from  love  and  faith,  which  causes 
all  its  inhabitants  to  be  in  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  in  them ;  as 
he  himself  teaches  in  John  :  4  At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I 
am  in  my  Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you’  (xiv.  20V  And 
again  :  4  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the 
branches  :  he  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit :  for  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing. 
If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  out’  (xv.  4,  5,  6 ;  xvii. 
22,  23).  The  reason  why  this  doctrine  concerning  the  Lord 
190 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


263,  264 


was  not  seen  from  tlie  Word  before,  is,  because  if  it  bad,  it 
still  would  not  have  been  received,  in  consequence  of  the  last 
judgment’s  not  being  accomplished.  Man,  while  in  the  world, 
stands  in  the  midst  between  heaven  and  hell ;  and  before  the 
last  judgment,  the  power  of  hell  prevailed  over  that  of  heaven  ; 
whence,  had  this  doctrine  been  seen  before,  the  devil,  that  is, 
hell,  would  have  plucked  it  from  the  heart,  and  would,  more¬ 
over,  have  profaned  it.  This  state  of  predominance  on  the  part 
of  hell,  was  altogether  crushed  by  the  last  judgment,  which  is 
now  accomplished.  Since  which  event,  that  is,  now,  it  is  in 
the  power  of  every  one,  who  desires  it,  to  become  enlightened 
and  wise.” 

264.  II.  That  a  doubt  may  be  inferred  against  the  Divine 
Providence ,  because  heretofore  it  ivas  not  hnoivn  that  in  every 
particular  of  the  Word  there  is  a  spiritual  sense ,  and  that  therein 
its  holiness  consists :  for  it  may  be  suggested  as  a  doubt  against 
the  Divine  Providence,  Why  is  this  revealed  now  for  the  first 
time,  and  why  by  this  or  that  person,  and  not  by  any  primate 
of  the  church  ?  But  whether  he  be  a  primate  or  the  servant  o( 
a  primate,  is  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord,  who 
knows  both  the  one  and  the  other.  The  reason  whv  that  sense 
of  the  Word  was  not  revealed  before,  is,  I.  Because,  if  it  had 
been,  the  church  would  have  profaned  it,  and  thereby  have  pro¬ 
faned  the  sanctity  of  the  Word  itself.  II.  That  the  genuine 
truths  also,  in  which  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  consists, 
were  not  revealed  by  the  Lord,  till  after  the  last  judgment  was 
performed,  and  a  new  church,  which  is  meant  by  the  Holy  Jeru¬ 
salem,  was  about  to  be  established  by  the  Lord.  These  articles, 
however,  shall  be  examined  separately.  First,  That  the  spi¬ 
ritual  sense  of  the  Word  was  not  revealed  before ,  because  if  it 
had ,  the  church  would  have  profaned  it ,  and  thereby  have  pro¬ 
faned  the  sanctity  of  the  Word  itself.  The  church,  not  long  after 
its  establishment,  was  converted  into  Babylon,  and  afterwards 
into  Philistea ;  and  Babylon  does  indeed  acknowledge  the  Word, 
but  vet  contemns  it,  saying,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  inspires  them 
in  their  supreme  judgment,  equally  as  much  as  it  inspired  the 
prophets.  They  acknowledge  the  Word  for  the  sake  of  the 
vicarship  founded  on  the  Lord’s  words  to  Peter ;  but  yet  they 
contemn  it,  because  it  does  not  accord  with  their  views.  For 
that  reason,  also,  it  is  taken  from  the  people,  and  hid  in  mo¬ 
nasteries,  where  there  are  but  few  who  read  it ;  therefore,  if  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  in  which  is  the  Lord,  and  at  the 
same  time  all  angelic  wisdom,  had  been  revealed,  the  Word 
would  have  been  profaned,  not  only  as  is  now  the  case,  in  its 
ultimates,  which  are  contained  in  the  literal  sense,  but  also  in 
its  internal  or  inmost  meaning.  Philistea,  by  which  is  meant 
faith  separate  from  charity,  would  also  have  profaned  the  spirit¬ 
ual  sense  of  the  Word,  because,  as  was  shown  before,  it  places 
191 


264 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


salvation  in  certain  words  wliic-li  are  to  be  thought  and  spoken, 
and  not  in  any  good  that  is  to  he  done ;  thus  making  that  a 
saving  principle  which  is  not  saving,  and  removing  the  under¬ 
standing  from  things  which  ought  to  be  believed.  And  what 
have  such  persons  to  do  with  the  light  in  which  is  the  spiritual 
sense  ot  the  Word?  Would  it  not  be  turned  by  them  into 
darkness?  Alien  the  natural  sense  is  turned  into  darkness, 
what  would  the  spiritual  sense  be?  Is  there  any  one  of  those 
who  have  confirmed  themselves  in  faith  separate  from  charity, 
and  in  justification  by  it  alone,  that  desires  to  know  what  is 
the  good  of  life,  or,  what  is  love  to  the  Lord  and  towards  their 
neighbour,  or  what  is  charity,  what  the  goods  of  charity,  what 
good  works,  and  what  it  is  to  do ,  vea,  what  faith  is  in  its  essence, 
or  an  \  genuine  truth  that  constitutes  it  ?  Thev  write  volumes, 
and  c  'linrm  nothing  but  what  they  call  faith,  saying  that  all 
the  th mgs  above  recited  are  contained  in  that  faith.  From 
which  1 1  is  evident,  that  if  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  had 
been  revealed  before,  the  case  would  have  been  according  to 
what  the  Lord  sats  in  [Matthew :  u  If  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy 
whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness ;  if,  therefore,  the  light 
that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness !”  \vi. 
23).  By  eye,  in  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  is  meant  the 
understanding.  Secondly,  That  the  genuine  truths  also ,  of 
which  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  consists ,  were  not  revealed 
by  the  Lord ,  till  after  the  last  judgment  was  accomplished ,  and 
the  New  Church ,  ichich  is  meant  by  the  Holy  Jerusalem ,  was 
about  to  be  established  by  the  Lora l.  It  is  foretold  by  the  Lord 
in  the  Bevel ation,  that  after  the  last  judgment  is  accomplished, 
genuine  truths  are  to  be  revealed,  a  new  church  established, 
and  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  disclosed.  That  the  final 
judgment  is  now  accomplished,  is  shown  in  a  small  work  con¬ 
cerning  the  Last  Judgment,  and  in  The  Continuation  of  that 
work ;  and  that  this  is  meant  by  the  heaven  and  earth  which 
are  to  pass  away,  mentioned  in  the  [Revelation,  xxi.  1.  That 
genuine  truths  are  then  to  be  revealed,  is  foretold  by  these 
words  in  the  Revelation :  “  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said. 
Behold,  I  make  all  things  new”  (verse  5;  also,  chap.  xix.  17, 
IS ;  xxi.  IS — 21 ;  xxii.  1,  2).  That  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word  is  then  to  be  revealed  is  foretold  in  chap.  xix.  11 — 16, 
and  it  is  denoted  by  the  white  horse,  upon  which  he  who  sat 
was  called  the  Word  of  God,  who  was  the  Lord  of  lords,  and 
King  of  kings ;  on  which  subject  the  little  work  concerning 
The  White  IIoese  may  be  consulted.  That  bv  the  Holy 
Jerusalem  is  meant  the  Hew  Church,  which  was  then  to  be 
established  by  the  Lord,  may  be  seen  in  The  Doctrine  of  thk 
Few  Jerusalem  concerning  tile  Lord,  n.  62 — 65,  where  it  is 
demonstrated.  Hence  then  it  is  evident,  that  the  spiritual 
sense  of  the  Word  was  to  be  revealed  for  a  Hew  Church,  which 
192 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


264,  265 


will  acknowledge  and  worship  the  Lord  alone,  hold  his  Word 
sacred,  love  divine  truths,  and  reject  faith  separated  from  cha- 
ritv.  In  relation  to  this  sense  of  the  Word  more  may  he  seen 
in  Tiie  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
Sacred  Scripture,  n.  5 — 26 ;  as,  what  the  spiritual  sense  of 
the  Word  is,  n.  5 — 26  ;  that  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  in  all  and 
every  particular  of  the  Word,  n.  9 — IT ;  that  it  is  by  virtue  of 
the  spiritual  sense  that  the  Word  is  of  divine  inspiration  and 
holy  in  every  single  expression,  n.  18,  19 ;  that  the  spiritual 
sense  of  the  Word  has  been  heretofore  unknown,  and  whv  it. 
was  not  revealed  before,  n.  20 — 25 ;  and  that  henceforth  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  will  be  opened  to  none  but  those 
who  are  principled  in  genuine  truths  from  the  Lord,  n.  26. 
From  these  considerations,  then,  it  may  appear  that  it  is  of  the 
Lord’s  Divine  Providence  that  the  spiritual  sense  has  been  con¬ 
cealed  from  the  world  until  the  present  age,  and  has  hitherto 
been  preserved  in  heaven  among  the  angels,  who  derive  their 
wisdom  from  it.  This  sense  was  known,  and  also  cultivated, 
among  the  ancients  who  lived  before  Moses ;  but  as  their  pos¬ 
terity  converted  the  correspondences,  of  which  their  Word  and 
consequently  their  religion  solely  consisted,  into  various  idola¬ 
tries,  and  the  Egyptians  into  magic,  it  was,  for  the  reasons 
above-mentioned,  closed  or  shut  up,  by  the  Divine  Providence 
of  the  Lord,  first  among  the  children  of  Israel,  and  afterwards 
among  the  Christians,  and  is  now  first  opened  for  the  Lord’s 
]N  ew  Church. 

265.  III.  That  a  doubt  may  he  inferred  against  the  Divine 
Providence ,  because  heretofore  it  was  not  known  that  the  very 
essence  of  the  Christian  religion  consists  in  shunning  evils  as  sms. 
That  this  is  the  very  essence  of  the  Christian  religion  is  shown 

•  ,  O 

The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  Hew  Jerus 


m 


ALEM 


? 


from 

beginning  to  end  ;  and  because  faith  separated  from  charity  is 
the  only  obstacle  to  its  being  received,  that  also  is  treated  of. 
It  is  said  that  heretofore  it  was  not  known  that  the  very  essence 
of  the  Christian  religion  consists  in  shunning  evils  as  sins, 
because  almost  everybody  is  ignorant  of  this,  and  yet  every  one 
is  taught  it,  as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  25S.  The  reason  why 

O  J  d  J  i 

almost  everybody  is  ignorant  of  it,  is,  because  Solifidianism  has 
erased  it  from  the  mind;  for  this  teaches  that  faith  alone  saves, 
and  not  any  good  work  or  good  of  charity ;  also,  that  they  are 
no  longer  under  the  voke  of  the  law,  but  at  liberty.  Those  who 
frequently  hear  such  doctrines,  no  longer  think  of  any  evil  of 
life,  or  of  any  good  of  life ;  for  every  man  by  nature  is  inclined 
to  embrace  that  idea,  and  when  it  is  once  embraced,  he  no 
onger  thinks  of  the  state  of  his  life.  This  is  the  reason  why 
the  above  is  not  known.  That  it  is  not  known  was  discovered 
to  me  in  the  spiritual  world.  I  questioned  above  a  thousand 
who  were  newlv  arrived  from  this  world,  whether  they  knew 
193 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


265,  274 


that  the  essence  of  religion  consisted  in  shunning  evils  as  sins; 
and  they  said  that  they  did  not  know  it;  that  it  was  anew 
thing  never  before  heard  of;  but  that  they  had  heard  they  could 
not  do  any  good  from  themselves,  and  were  not  under  the  yoke 
of  the  law.  "When  I  asked,  if  they  did  not  know  that  it  was  a 
man’s  duty  to  examine  himself,  to  see  his  sins,  repent  of  them, 
and  lead  a  new  life ;  that  otherwise  sins  are  not  forgiven,  and 
if  sins  are  not  forgiven  there  is  no  salvation  ;  and  that  this  w'as 
read  aloud  to  them  as  often  as  they  received  the  holy  supper ; 
they  answered,  that  they  did  not  attend  to  those  things,  but 
only  to  this,  that  by  means  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  their  sins  are 
forgiven,  and  that  faith,  without  their  knowledge,  operates  the 
rest.  Again  I  asked,  Why  did  you  teach  your  children  the 
Decalogue  ?  "Was  it  not  that  they  might  know  what  evils  are 
sins  which  are  to  be  shunned?  "Was  it  that  they  might  only 
know  and  believe,  and  not  act  accordingly?  "Why  then  do  you 
say  that  this  is  a  new'  thing  ?  To  this  they  could  make  no  other 
answ'er  than  that  they  knewr  it,  and  yet  did  not  know  it,  and 

c  7  t J  ' 

that  they  never  thought  of  the  seventh  commandment  when 

«/  c_- 

they  committed  adultery,  or  of  the  eighth  when  they  committed 
theft  or  acted  fraudulently,  and  so  on;  much  less,  that  such 
things  are  contrary  to  the  divine  law',  and  consequently  offences 
against  God.  "When  I  mentioned  several  things  from  the  doc¬ 
trines  of  the  churches,  and  from  the  Word,  in  confirmation  of 
my  assertion,  that  to  shun  evils  as  sins,  and  hold  them  in 
aversion,  is  the  very  essence  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  that 
every  one  is  gifted  w'ith  faith  in  proportion  as  he  shuns  and 
holds  them  in  aversion,  they  were  silent;  but  they  were  con- 
firmed  in  the  truth  of  it  when  they  saw'  that  all  w’ere  examined 
as  to  their  lives,  and  judged  according  to  their  actions,  and  no 
one  according  to  his  faith  unconnectedly  with  his  life,  because 
the  faith  of  every  one  is  conformable  to  his  life.  The  reason 
why  the  Christian  world  for  the  most  part  did  not  know  this, 
exists  in  that  law  of  the  Divine  Providence  whereby  every  one 
is  left  to  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  w'hich  see  above, 
n.  71 — 99,  and  n.  100 — 128 ;  also  in  the  law,  whereby  it  is  ap¬ 
pointed  that  no  one  is  taught  immediately  from  heaven,  but 
mediately  through  the  Word,  doctrine,  and  preachings  out  of 
it,  concerning  w'hich  see  above,  n.  154 — 174:  and  likewise  in 
all  the  laws  of  permission,  which  also  are  law's  of  the  Divine 
Providence.  More  may  be  seen  above  respecting  these,  n.  25S. 

274.  IY.  That  a  doubt  may  be  inferred  against  the  Divine 
Providence ,  because  it  was  not  hnown  heretofore  that  a  man  lives 
as  a  man  after  death ,  and  this  was  not  discovered  till  now. 
The  reason  why  this  was  not  known,  is,  because  in  those  who 
do  not  shun  evils  as  sins,  there  lies  inwardly  concealed  a  belief 
that  a  man  does  not  live  after  death,  and  therefore  they  think 
it  of  no  importance  whether  it  be  said  that  a  man  lives  alter 
194 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


274 


death,  or  that  he  will  rise  again  at  the  day  of  judgment.  If  one 
happens  to  have  any  belief  in  a  resurrection,  he  says  to  himself, 
I  shall  not  fare  worse  than  others;  for  if  I  go  to  hell,  I  shall 
have  many  to  accompany  me,  and  also  if  to  heaven.  Yet  all 
who  have  any  religion  have  in  them  an  inherent  knowledge  that 
men  live  after  death.  The  idea  that  they  live  as  souls,  and  not 
as  men,  takes  place  with  those,  and  with  those  only,  who  are 
infatuated  by  their  own  self-derived  intelligence.  That  every 
one  who  has  any  religion  in  him  has  an  inherent  knowledge  that 
a  man  lives  after  death,  may  appear  from  the  following  con¬ 
siderations.  1.  Who  thinks  otherwise  when  he  is  dying?  2. 
What  panegyrist,  in  his  lamentation  over  the  dead,  does  not  send 
them  to  heaven,  place  them  among  the  angels,  in  conversation 
with  them,  and  partaking  their  joys?  lSrot  to  mention  the 
apotheosis  of  some.  3.  Who  among  the  vulgar  does  not  believe, 
that  when  he  dies,  if  he  has  lived  well,  he  shall  go  to  a  heavenly 
Paradise,  be  clothed  in  a  white  garment,  and  enjoy  life  ever¬ 
lasting?  4.  Where  is  the  preacher  who  does  not  say  these 
things,  or  the  like,  to  those  who  are  on  their  death-bed  ?  And 
when  he  says  them,  he  believes  them  himself,  provided  he  does 
not  at  the  time  think  of  the  last  judgment.  5.  Who  is  there 
that  does  not  believe  that  his  children  are  in  heaven,  and  that 
he  shall  see  his  wife,  whom  he  has  loved,  after  death?  Who 
ever  supposes  they  are  spectres,  much  less  that  they  are  souls 
or  minds  hovering  about  in  the  universe  ?  6.  Who  contradicts, 

when  any  thing  is  said  of  the  lot  and  state  of  those  who  have 
passed  from  time  to  eternity  ?  I  have  told  many  of  the  state 
and  lot  of  such  and  such  persons,  and  I  have  never  yet  heard 
any  one  say,  that  their  lot  was  not  yet  decided,  but  that  it 
would  be  so  at  the  last  judgment.  7.  Who,  when  he  sees  angels 
painted  or  carved,  does  not  acknowledge  that  they  are  such  ? 
Who  ever  imagines  at  such  times  that  they  are  spirits  without  a 
body,  airs,  or  clouds,  as  some  of  the  learned  do?  8.  The  papists 
believe  their  saints  to  be  men  in  heaven,  and  others  elsewhere , 
the  Mahometans  think  the  same  of  their  dead  ;  so  do  the  Afri¬ 
cans  more  especially,  and  in  like  manner  many  other  nations  : 
what  then  ought  not  reformed  Christians  to  do,  who  know  it 
from  the  Word  ?  9.  It  is  also  owing  to  this  knowledge,  inherent 

in  every  one,  that  some  aspire  after  immortal  fame ;  for  this 
knowledge  is  converted  into  the  love  of  such  fame  with  some, 
and  makes  them  heroes  and  valiant  in  war.  10.  Inquiry  was. 
made  in  the  spiritual  world,  whether  this  knowledge  is  inherent 
in  all ;  and  it  was  found,  that  it  is  so  in  the  spiritual  idea  of  all, 
which  is  of  the  internal  thought,  but  not  so  in  their  natural  idea, 
which  is  ot  the  external  thought.  From  these  corsiderations  it 
may  appear,  that  no  one  ought  to  entertain  any  doubt  against 
the  Divine  Providence,  because  he  thinks  it  is  now  first  discovered 
that  men  live  after  death.  It  is  only  a  man's  sensual  mind 
195  *  if 


274-  -276 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


which  desires  to  see  and  touch  wnat  is  to  he  believed ;  and  lie 
whose  thoughts  are  not  elevated  above  this  is  involved  in  dark¬ 
ness  with  respect  to  the  state  of  his  life. 


THAT  EVILS  ARE  PERMITTED  FOR  A  CERTAIN  END,  WHICH  IS 

SALVATION. 

275.  If  a  man  were  born  in  the  love  in  which  he  was 
created,  he  would  not  be  in  any  evil,  nor,  indeed,  would  he 
know  what  evil  is ;  for  he  who  has  not  been,  and  thence  is  not 
in  evil,  cannot  know  what  it  is.  If  it  should  be  said  to  him 
that  this  or  that  is  evil,  he  would  not  believe  it  possible.  This 
is  the  state  of  innocence,  in  which  Adam  and  his  wife  Eve  were  ; 
and  their  nakedness,  of  which  they  were  not  ashamed,  signified 
that  state.  The  knowledge  of  evil  after  the  fall  is  meant  by 
eating  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  The  love 
in  which  man  was  created  is  the  love  of  his  neighbour,  that  he 
may  wish  him  as  well  as  he  wishes  himself,  and  even  better, 

e  7  7 

and  that  he  may  be  in  the  delight  of  that  love  when  he  does 
good  to  him,  just  as  a  parent  is  in  doing  good  to  his  children. 
This  love  is  truly  human ;  for  in  it  there  is  something  spiritual, 
whereby  it  is  distinguished  from  natural  love,  which  is  common 
to  brute  animals.  If  a  man  were  born  into  this  love,  he  would 
not  be  born  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  as  is  now  the  case 
with  every  man,  but  in  a  certain  light  of  knowledge,  and  thence 
of  intelligence  also,  into  which  he  would  shortly  enter,  and 
indeed  he  would  at  first  creep  like  a  quadruped,  but  with  an 
innate  endeavour  to  raise  himself  upon  his  feet ;  for  although  he 
would  creep,  he  would  not  look  down  to  the  ground,  but  upwards 
to  heaven,  and  would,  as  it  would  be  in  his  power  to  do,  lift 
himself  upright. 

276.  But  when  the  love  of  the  neighbour  was  turned  into 
the  love  of  self,  and  this  latter  increased,  then  human  love  was 
turned  into  animal  love,  and  man  from  being  man  became  a 
beast,  with  this  difference,  that  he  could  think  that  which  he 
felt  in  the  body,  rationally  distinguish  one  thing  from  another, 
could  be  instructed,  made  a  civil  and  moral,  and  at  length  a 
spiritual  man;  because,  as  was  observed,  a  man  has  a  spiritual 
principle,  by  which  he  is  distinguished  from  brute  animals  ; 
for  by  it  he  can  know  what  is  civil  evil  and  good,  what  is  moral 
evil  and  good,  and  also,  if  he  will,  what  is  spiritual  evil  and  good. 
When  the  love  of  the  neighbour  was  turned  into  self-love,  man 
could  no  longer  be  born  into  the  light  of  science  and  intelligence, 
but  into  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  because  he  was  born  totally 

196 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


276,  277 


in  tlie  ultimate  of  life,  which  is  called  the  corporeal  sensual 
principle ;  but  from  it  he  could  by  instruction  be  introduced 
into  the  interiors  of  the  natural  mind,  something  spiritual  always 
attending.  The  reason  whv  lie  is  born  in  the  ultimate  of  life, 
which  is  called  the  corporeal  sensual  principle,  and  consecpiently 
in  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  will  be  seen  in  what  follows. 
That  the  love  of  the  neighbour  and  the  love  of  self  are  opposite, 
any  one  may  see  ;  for  the  former  wishes  well  to  all  from  itself, 
but  the  latter  wishes  well  to  itself  alone  from  all.  A  man  m 
the  love  of  his  neighbour  desires  to  serve  all ;  but  he  who  is  in 
self-love  desires  to  be  served  bv  all :  the  former  considers  all  as 

fj 

his  brothers  and  friends,  but  the  latter  considers  all  as  his 
servants,  and  if  they  do  not  serve  him,  as  his  enemies  :  in  a 
word,  he  considers  himself  alone,  and  others  scarcely  as  men, 
whom  in  his  heart  he  values  less  than  his  horses  and  dogs  ;  and 
as  he  thinks  them  so  vile,  he  makes  no  account  of  injuring  them ; 
whence  proceed  hatred  and  revenge,  adultery  and  fornication, 
thefts  and  frauds,  lies  and  blasphemies,  rage,  cruelty,  and  the 
like.  These  are  the  evils  in  which  every  man  is  by  birth.  That 
these  are  permitted  for  a  certain  end,  which  is  salvation,  shall 
be  demonstrated  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  every  man  is 
in  evil,  and  that  he  is  to  be  withdrawn  from  evil  that  he  may  be 
reformed.  II.  That  evils  cannot  be  removed  unless  they  appear. 

III.  That  in  proportion  as  evils  are  removed,  they  are  remitted. 

IV.  That  thus  the  permission  of  evil  is  for  the  sake  of  salvation 
as  the  end. 

277.  I.  That  every  man  is  in  evil ,  and  that  he  is  to  he  with¬ 
drawn  from  evil  that  he  may  he  reformed.  That  every  man  has 
hereditary  evil,  and  that  therefrom  he  is  in  the  concupiscence 
of  many  evils,  is  well  known  in  the  church.  Thence  it  is  that 
a  man  from  himself  cannot  do  good;  for  evil  does  not  do  good, 
except  it  be  such  good  as  has  evil  lurking  within  it ;  which  evil 
consists  in  his  doing  good  for  the  sake  of  self,  and  thus  doing 
what  is  good  only  in  appearance.  That  this  evil  is  hereditary 
from  parents  is  well  known.  It  is  said  to  be  from  Adam  and 
Eve ;  but  this  is  a  mistake :  for  every  one  is  born  into  it  from 
his  parent,  that  parent  from  his  parent,  and  so  on,  every  one 
from  his  own  parent  respectively  ;  and  thus  it  is  successively 
transferred  from  one  to  another,  by  which  it  is  increased  and 
augmented  abundantly,  and  is  transmitted  to  posterity.  Thence 
it  is,  that  in  man  there  is  no  health,  or  nothing  sound,  but  that 
he  is  one  entire  mass  of  evil.  Who  is  there  that  feels  that  to 
love  himself  more  than  others  is  evil,  and  who,  therefore,  knows 
that  there  is  any  evil  in  it  ;  when,  nevertheless,  it  is  the  head 
of  all  evils?  That  it  is  inherited  from  fathers,  grandfathers, 
and  great-grandfathers,  is  evident  from  many  circumstances 
which  are  generally  known ;  as  from  tl  e  similarity  of  faces  in 
houses,  families,  and,  indeed,  in  whole  nations,  by  which  they 
197 


277 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


are  distinguishable,  faces  being  the  types  of  minds,  and  the  state 
of  minds  being  conformable  to  their  affections,  which  are  of  love. 
Sometimes,  also,  the  face  of  the  grandfather  returns  in  the 
grandchild,  or  great-grandchild.  I  can  tell  from  seeing  the  face 
only,  whether  a  person  is  a  Jew  or  not ;  also,  from  what  stock 
some  other  people  are  derived  ;  and  I  doubt  not  but  there  are 
others  who  can  do  the  same.  If  the  affections,  which  are  of 
love,  are  thus  derived  and  transmitted  from  parents,  it  follows 
that  it  is  the  same  with  evils,  because  these  appertain  to  the 
affections.  The  cause  of  this  resemblance  shall  now  be  explained : 
the  soul  of  every  one  is  from  his  father,  and  is  only  clothed  with 
a  body  from  his  mother.  That  the  soul  is  derived  from  the 
father,  not  only  follows  as  a  consequence  from  what  has  been 
said  above,  but  is  evident  from  other  circumstances  ;  as,  that 
the  child  of  a  negro  or  Moor,  by  a  white  or  European  woman, 
is  born  black,  and  vice  versa  j  and  especially  that  the  soul  is  in 
the  seed,  for  from  it  impregnation  is  effected,  and  it  is  that 
which  is  clothed  with  a  bodv  from  the  mother  ;  the  seed  being; 
the  primitive  form  of  the  love  in  which  the  father  is, — the  form 
of  his  ruling  love,  with  its  proximate  derivations,  which  are  the 
inmost  affections  of  that  love.  These  affections  are  in  every  one 
clothed  in  the  decencies  of  moral  life,  and  the  goods  wdiich  are 
partly  of  civil  and  partly  of  spiritual  life  ; .  and  these  constitute 
the  external  of  life  even  with  the  wicked.  Every  infant  is  born 
into  this  external  of  life,  and  hence  it  is  that  it  is  amiable  ;  but 
as  a  man  grows  up  and  advances  to  mature  age,  he  passes  from 
that  external  to  interiors,  and  at  length  to  the  ruling  love  of 
his  father.  If  his  father’s  ruling  love  was  evil,  his  love  also 
becomes  evil,  unless  tempered  and  bent  by  means  of  education ; 
and  even  then,  as  will  be  shown  in  what  follows,  evil  is  not 
extirpated,  but  only  removed.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  every 
man  is  in  evil. 

277.  That  a  man  is  to  be  withdrawn  from  evil,  in  order  that 
he  may  be  reformed,  is  evident  without  explanation  ;  for  he  that 
is  in  evil  in  the  world,  is  in  evil  after  he  goes  out  of  it ;  and 
therefore  if  evil  be  not  removed  in  the  world,  it  cannot  be  re¬ 
moved  afterwards.  Where  the  tree  falls,  there  it  lies  ;  so  also 
it  is  with  a  man’s  life.  As  it  was  at  his  death,  such  it  remains. 
Every  one  also  is  judged  according  to  his  actions  ;  not  that  they 
are  enumerated,  but  because  he  returns  to  them,  and  does  the 
like  again ;  for  death  is  a  continuation  of  life,  with  this  differ¬ 
ence,  that  then  the  man  cannot  be  reformed.  All  reformation 
is  effected  in  a  plenary  manner,  that  is,  in  primaries  and  in 
ultimates  at  the  same  time ;  and  ultimates  are  reformed  in  this 
world  conformably  to  primaries ;  but  they  cannot  be  so  after¬ 
wards,  because  the  ultimates  of  life,  which  a  man  carries  with 
him  after  death,  are  quiescent,  and  conspire,  that  is,  act  as  one, 
with  his  interiors. 

198 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


278 


278.  II.  That  evils  cannot  be  removed  except  they  appear. 


It  is  not  meant  that  a  man  is  to  do  evils  that  they  may  appear, 
but  that  he  is  to  examine  himself,  not  his  actions  only,  but  also 
his  thoughts,  and  as  to  what  he  would  do  if  he  were  not  afraid 
of  the  laws  and  of  infamy ;  especially,  what  evils  he  considers 
in  his  spirit  as  allowable,  and  does  not  look  upon  as  sins,  for 
these  he  still  commits.  In  order  that  a  man  may  explore  him¬ 
self,  understanding  is  given  him,  and  this  separate  from  the 
will ;  that  he  may  know,  understand,  and  acknowledge  what  is 
good  and  what  evil,  and  may  also  see  the  quality  of  his  will,  or 
what  he  loves  and  what  he  covets.  That  a  man  may  see  this, 
his  understanding  is  gifted  with  superior  and  inferior,  or  interior 
and  exterior  thought,  that  from  his  superior  or  interior  thought 
he  may  see  what  his  will  is  doing  in  his  inferior  or  exterior 
thought.  This  he  sees  as  a  man  sees  his  face  in  a  glass  ;  and 
when  he  sees  it,  and  knows  what  sin  is,  he  may,  if  he  implores 
the  help  of  the  Lord,  not  will  it,  but  shun  it,  and  afterwards 
act  against  it ;  if  not  freely,  still  he  may  force  himself  to  it  by 


combat,  and  at  length  hold  it  in  aversion  and  abominate  it : 
then,  and  not  before,  he  perceives  and  also  feels  that  evil  is  evil 
and  good  is  good.  This,  then,  is  examining  or  exploring  him¬ 
self.  seeing  his  sins,  -acknowledging  them,  confessing  them,  and 
afterwards  desisting  from  them.  As  however  there  are  few  who 
know  that  the  very  essence  of  the  Christian  religion  consists  in 
this,  because  those  only  who  do  so  have  charity  and  faith,  are 

t/  t/  7 


led  of  the  Lord,  and  do  good  from  him,  something  shall  be  said 
of  those  persons  who  do  not  do  so,  and  yet  think  they  have 
religion  in  them.  They  are  the  following  :  1.  Those  who  con- 

Cr  i/  o 

fess  themselves  guilty  of  all  sins,  and  do  not  search  out  any  one 
sin  in  themselves.  2.  Those  who  omit  such  inquiry  from  a 
principle  of  religion.  3.  Those  who,  on  account  of  worldly 
matters,  do  not  think  of  sins,  and  consequently  do  not  know 
them.  L  Those  who  favour  them,  and  therefore  cannot  know 
them.  5.  That  in  all  these  persons  sins  do  not  appear,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  removed.  6.  Lastly,  the  hitherto  unknown 
cause  shall  be  laid  open  why  evils  cannot  be  removed,  without 
the  search,  appearance,  acknowledgment,  confession  thereof, 
and  resistance  thereto. 

These  points  however  shall  be  viewed  separately,  because 
they  are  fundamentals  of  the  Christian  religion  on  man’s  part. 
First,  Of  those  who  confess  themselves  guilty  of  cdl  sms ,  and  do 
not  search  out  any  sin  in  themselves.  Such  a  one  says,  I  am  a 
sinner  ;  I  was  born  in  sin ;  there  is  no  health  in  me  from  head 
to  foot ;  I  am  nothing  but  evil.  Good  God,  have  mercy  upon 
me,  forgive  me,  purify  me,  save  me  ;  cause  me  to  walk  in  purity 
of  life,  and  in  the  way  of  uprightness, — and  the  like  ;  yet  he 
does  not  examine  himself,  and  consequently  does  not  know  any 
evil ;  and  no  one  can  shun  that  which  he  does  not  know,  much 


199 


278 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


less  fight  against  it.  After  his  confession,  he  also  thinks  him¬ 
self  clean  and  washed,  when  nevertheless  he  is  unclean  and  un 
washed  from  head  to  foot ;  for  the  confession  of  all  is  the  quiet¬ 
ing  or  laying  asleep  of  all,  and  at  length  the  blinding  of  all : 
it  is  like  something  general  without  any  particular,  which  is 
nothing.  Secondly,  Of  those  who  omit  such  inquiry  from  a 
'principle  of  religion.  They  are  such  especially  as  separate  charity 
from  faith  :  for  such  a  one  says  to  himself,  Why  should  I  inquire 
whether  it  be  evil  or  good? — why,  whether  it  be  evil, since  evil 
does  not  condemn  me?  and  why,  whether  it  be  good,  since 
good  does  not  save  me  ?  It  is  faith  alone,  thought  of  and  pro¬ 
nounced  with  confidence  and  assurance,  which  justifies  and 
purifies  from  all  sin  :  and  when  I  am  once  justified,  I  am  pure 
in  the  sight  of  God.  I  am  indeed  in  evil ;  but  God  wipes  this 
away  as  soon  as  it  is  produced,  and  so  it  appears  no  more ; — 
not  to  mention  other  notions  of  the  same  kind.  But  who  does 
not  see,  if  he  opens  his  eyes,  that  such  are  empty  words,  having 
no  substance  in  them,  because  they  have  no  good  in  them  ? 
Who  may  not  think  and  speak  thus,  even  with  confidence  and 
assurance,  when  at  the  same  time  he  thinks  of  hell  and  eternal 
damnation  ?  Does  such  a  one  desire  to  know  any  thing  else, 
whether  it  be  true,  or  whether  it  be  good  ?  Of  truth  he  says, 
what  is  truth  but  that  which  confirms  such  a  faith  ?  Of  good 
he  says,  what  is  good  but  that  which  is  in  me  from  this  faith  l 
But  in  order  that  it  may  be  in  me,  I  will  not  do  it  as  from 
myself,  because  that  is  meritorious,  and  meritorious  good  is  not 
real  good.  Thus  he  omits  all  things,  until  he  does  not  know 
what  evil  is  ;  and  what  then  can  he  search  out  or  see  in  himself  ? 
In  this  case,  is  not  his  state  such,  that  the  fire  of  the  concu¬ 
piscences  of  evil  being  inclosed,  consumes  his  interiors,  and 
devastates  them  even  to  the  gate,  which  he  keeps  shut  lest  the 
fire  should  appear  ?  It  is  opened,  however,  after  death,  and 
then  appears  in  the  sight  of  every  one.  Thirdly,  Of  those 
who ,  on  account  of  worldly  matters ,  do  not  think  of  sins,  ana 
consequently  do  not  know  them.  These  are  such  as  love  the  world 
above  all  things,  and  admit  no  truth  which  may  withdraw  them 
from  the  falsities  of  their  religion.  Such  a  one  savs  to  himself, 
What  have  I  to  do  with  this  ?  I  do  not  love  to  think  of  it. 
Thus  they  reject  truth  as  soon  as  they  hear  it,  and  if  they  hear 
it,  suffocate  it.  The  case  is  nearly  the  same  with  them  when 
they  hear  preachings,  of  which  they  retain  only  some  of  the 
words,  but  not  any  of  the  substance.  As  truths  are  treated  by 
them  in  this  manner,  they  do  not  know  what  good  is,  for  truth 
and  good  act  as  one ;  and  by  good  which  is  not  grounded  in 
truth  no  discovery  is  made  of  evil,  except  that  it  also  may  be 
called  good,  which  is  effected  by  reasoning  from  falsities.  These 
are  those  who  are  meant  bv  the  seed  which  fell  among  thorns, 
of  whom  the  Lord  savs,  u  Some  fell  among  thorns ;  and  the 
200 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


278 


thorns  sprung  up  and  choked  them.”  These  also  are  those  who 
“  hear  the  Word,  and  the  care  of  this  world,  and  the  deceitful 
ness  of  riches,  choke  the  Word,  and  it  becometh  unfruitful” 
(Matt.  xiii.  7,  22  ;  Mark  iv.  7,  Id  ;  Luke  viii.  7,  Id).  Fourthly, 
Of  those  who  favour  sins ,  and  therefore  cannot  know  them.  These 
are  those  who  acknowledge  God,  and  worship  him  according  to 
the  usual  forms,  but  confirm  themselves  in  the  idea  that  any 
evil,  which  is  a  sin,  is  not  a  sin ;  for  they  disguise  it  by  fallacies 
and  appearances,  and  so  hide  its  enormity ;  having  done  which, 
they  favour  it,  and  make  it  friendly  and  familiar  to  them.  It  is 
said  that  those  who  acknowledge  God  do  this  ;  because  others 
do  not  consider  any  evil  as  a  sin,  every  sin  being  an  offence 
against  God.  But  this  shall  be  illustrated  by  examples.  He 
does  not  consider  evil  as  sin  who  is  covetous  of  money,  and 
makes  any  species  of  fraud  allowable,  by  reasons  which  he  fabri¬ 
cates.  It  is  the  same  with  him  who  confirms  himself  in  the 
lawfulness  of  revenge  against  enemies,  and  of  committing  depre¬ 
dations  upon  those  who  are  not  enemies  in  war.  Fifthly, 
That  in  these  persons  sins  do  not  appear  and  therefore  cannot  he 
removed.  All  evil  which  does  not  appear  kindles  itself,  being 
like  fire  among  wood  under  the  ashes  ;  it  is  also  like  corrupted 
matter  in  a  wound  which  is  not  laid  open ;  for  all  evil  which  is 
obstructed  increases,  and  does  not  cease  until  the  whole  is 
consummated.  Therefore,  lest  any  evil  should  be  obstructed, 
it  is  permitted  that  every  one  should  think  either  in  favour  of 
God  or  against  God,  in  favour  of  the  holy  things  of  the  church, 
or  against  them,  and  should  not  be  punished  for  the  same  in 
this  world.  Concerning  this  evil  the  Lord  says  in  Isaiah : 
“From  the  sole  of  the  foot,  even  unto  the  head,  there  is  no 
soundness  in  it ;  but  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putrefying  sores : 
they  have  not  been  closed,  neither  bound  up,  neither  mollified 
with  ointment.  Wash  you,  make  you  clean;  put  away  the  evil 
of  your  doings  from  before  mine  eyes ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn 
to  do  good.”  Then  “  although  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson, 
they  shall  be  as  wool.  But  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be 
devoured  by  the  sword”  (i.  6,  16,  18,  20).  To  be  devoured  by 
the  sword,  signifies,  to  perish  by  the  falsity  of  evil.  Sixthly, 
The  reason ,  hitherto  concecded,why  evils  cannot  he  removed  with¬ 
out  being  explored ,  appearing ,  being  acknowledged ,  confessed ,  and 
resisted.  In  the  preceding  pages  it  is  mentioned,  that  the 
universal  heaven  is  arranged  into  societies  according  to  the  affec¬ 
tions  of  good  opposite  to  the  concupiscences  of  evil.  Every 
man,  with  respect  to  his  spirit,  is  in  some  society, — in  a  celestial 
society  if  he  is  in  the  affection  of  good,  and  in  an  infernal 
society  if  he  is  in  the  concupiscence  of  evil.  lie  does  not 
know  this  while  he  lives  in  the  world;  but  yet  as  to  his  spirit  he 
is  in  some  society,  without  which  he  could  not  live,  and  through 
201 


278,  279 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


which  lie  is  governed  by  the  Lord.  If  he  is  in  an  infer, ial 
society,  he  can  only  be  brought  out  of  it  by  the  Lord,  according 
to  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence,  among  which  this  is  one, 
that  a  man  must  see  that  he  is  there,  must  desire  to  depart,  and 
must  himself  endeavour  to  do  it  from  himself.  This  he  can  do 
while  he  is  in  the  world,  but  not  after  death ;  for  then  he  abides 
to  all  eternity  in  the  society  into  which  he  introduced  himself 
when  in  the  world.  This  is  the  reason  why  a  man  ought  to 
examine  himself,  to  see  and  acknowledge  his  sins,  to  repent  of 
them,  and  then  to  persevere  to  the  end  of  his  life.  That  this 
is  the  case,  I  could  fully  and  satisfactorily  confirm  by  abundant 
experience ;  but  to  produce  proofs  from  experience  does  not 
belong  to  this  place. 

279.  III.  Thai  in  proportion  as  evils  are  removed ,  they  are 
remitted.  It  is  an  error  of  the  present  age,  to  suppose  that 
evils  are  separated  from  a  man,  and  even  cast  out,  when  they 
are  remitted ;  and  that  the  state  of  a  man’s  life  can  be  changed 
in  a  moment,  even  to  its  opposite,  so  that,  from  being  wicked, 
he  can  be  made  good,  consequently  brought  out  of  hell,  and 
instantly  translated  to  heaven,  by  the  immediate  mercy  of  the 
Lord.  Those  however  who  entertain  this  belief  and  opinion,  do 
not  in  the  least  know  what  evil  and  good  are,  or  any  thing  of  the 
state  of  a  man’s  life.  They  are  altogether  ignorant  that  the  affec¬ 
tions,  which  are  of  the  will,  are  mere  changes  and  variations  of 
the  state  of  the  purely  organic  substances  of  the  mind  ;  that 
the  thoughts,  which  are  of  the  understanding,  are  mere  changes 
and  variations  of  their  form ;  and  that  the  memory  is  the  per¬ 
manent  state  of  these  changes.  From  a  knowledge  of  these 
things,  it  may  be  clearly  seen,  that  no  evil  can  be  removed 
except  successively ;  and  that  the  remission  of  evil  is  not  its 
removal.  These  things  are  here  asserted  in  a  summary  way 
only ;  but  unless  they  are  demonstrated,  although  they  may  be 
acknowledged,  they  cannot  be  comprehended  ;  and  that  which 
is  not  comprehended,  is  merely  like  a  wheel  turned  about  by 
the  hand ;  therefore  the  propositions  above  mentioned  shall  be 
demonstrated  separately  in  the  same  order  in  which  they  are 
adduced.  First,  That  it  is  an  error  of  the  present  age,  to  sup¬ 
pose  that  evils  are  separated ,  and  even  cast  out ,  when  they  a,re 
remitted.  That  no  evil  into  which  a  man  is  born,  and  which  he 
actually  imbibes,  is  separated  from  him,  but  that  it  is  only 
removed  so  that  it  shall  not  appear,  has  been  made  known  to 
me  from  heaven.  Before  that,  I  was  in  the  belief  entertained 
by  most  people  in  this  world,  that  when  evils  are  remitted,  they 
are  cast  out,  and  are  washed  oft*  and  wiped  away,  as  dirt  from 
the  face  by  water.  This  however  is  not  the  case  with  evils  or 
sins ;  they  all  remain ;  and,  when  they  are  remitted  after  re¬ 
pentance,  are  removed  from  the  middle  to  the  sides,- — that 
which  is  in  the  middle,  as  it  is  directly  under  the  inspection, 
202 


rHE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE 


279 


appearing  as  in  tlie  light  of  day,  and  that  which  is  at  Ihe  sides 
appearing  in  the  shade,  and  sometimes  as  it  were  in  the  dark¬ 
ness  of  night.  And  because  evils  are  not  separated,  but  only 
removed,  that  is,  put  away  to  the  sides,  and  a  man  may  be 
transferred  from  the  middle  to  the  circumference,  it  may  also 
happen,  that  he  can  return  to  his  evils,  which  he  thought 
rejected  ;  for  a  man  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  he  can  pass  from 
one  affection  to  another,  and  sometimes  to  an  opposite  one, 
thus,  from  one  middle  or  centre  to  another,  the  affection  which 
predominates  constituting  the  middle  or  centre  while  the  man 
is  in  it,  for  he  is  then  in  the  delight  and  in  the  light  of  it. 

'  o  o 

There  are  some  men  who,  after  death,  are  taken  up  by  the 
Lord  into  heaven,  because  they  have  led  a  good  life,  but  who 
still  carry  with  them  a  belief,  that  they  were  cleansed  and  pure 
from  sins,  and,  therefore,  not  in  a  state  of  guilt.  These  are  at 
first  clothed  in  white  garments  according  to  such  persuasion, 
white  garments  signifying  a  state  of  purification  from  evils  ; 
but  afterwards  they  begin  to  think,  as  they  did  in  the  world, 
that  they  are  washed  clean  as  it  were  from  all  evil,  and,  there- 
fore,  begin  to  boast  that  they  are  no  longer  sinners  like  others, 
which  persuasion  it  is  difficult  to  separate  from  a  certain  exulta¬ 
tion  of  mind,  and  some  degree  of  contempt  for  others  in  com¬ 
parison  with  themselves  ;  therefore,  in  order  that  this  imaginary 
belief  may  be  removed,  they  are  then  remanded  from  heaven, 
and  let  into  the  evils  which  they  had  contracted  in  the  world,  it 
being  shown  them,  at  the  same  time,  that  they  are  in  hereditary 
evils,  of  which  they  knew  nothing  before.  When  they  have 
been  thus  forced  to  acknowledge,  that  their  evils  are  not  sepa¬ 
rated  from  them,  but  only  removed,  so  that  of  themselves  they 
are  impure,  and,  indeed,  nothing  but  evil,  that  it  is  by  the 
Lord  that  they  are  detained  from  evils,  and  kept  in  goods,  and 
that  this  appears  to  them  as  from  themselves,  they  are  again 
taken  up  by  the  Lord  into  heaven.  Secondly,  That  it  is  an 
error  of  the  present  age  to  suppose  that  the  state  of  a  mail’s  life 
can  be  changed  in  a  moment ,  so  that  from  being  wicked  he  can  be 
made  good ,  consequently  brought  out  of  hell ,  and  instantly  trans¬ 
lated,  into  heaven ,  by  the  immediate  mercy  of  the  Lord.  Those 
are  in  this  error  who  separate  charity  from  faith,  and  place 
salvation  in  faith  alone ;  for  they  imagine  that  the  bare  thinking 
and  uttering  of  the  words  in  which  that  faith  is  conveyed,  pro¬ 
vided  it  be  done  with  confidence  and  assurance,  justifies  and 
saves  ;  an  effect  which  is  also  supposed  by  some  to  be  momen- 
taneous,  and  if  not  before,  about  the  last  hour  of  a  man’s  life. 
Such  persons  cannot  but  think,  that  a  man’s  state  of  life  may 
be  changed  in  a  moment,  and  that  he  may  be  saved  by  imme¬ 
diate  merev.  Tnat  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  however  is  not  im- 
mediate,  ana  that  a  man  from  being  wicked  cannot  be  made 
good  in  a  moment,  or  be  led  out  of  hell  and  translated  into 
203 


279 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


heaven,  but  by  continual  operations  of  the  Divine  Providence 
from  his  infancy  to  the  end  of  his  life,  will  he  seen  in  the  last 

« j  j 

section  of  this  treatise.  We  will  here  only  observe,  that  all  the 

t 

laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  have  for  their  end  the  reformation 
and  thereby  the  salvation  of  man,  consequently  the  inversion 
of  his  state,  which  by  birth  is  infernal,  to  its  opposite,  which 
is  celestial ;  and  that  this  can  only  be  effected  progressively,  as 
a  man,  receding  from  evil  and  its  delight,  enters  into  good  and 
its  delight.  Thirdly,  That  those  who  entertain  this  belief ,  do 
not  in  the  least  know  what  is  evil  and  what  is  good :  for  they  do 
not  know,  that  evil  is  the  delight  of  the  concupiscence  of  acting 
and  thinking  contrary  to  divine  order,  while  good  is  the  delight 
of  the  affection  of  acting  and  thinking  according  to  divine 
order ;  that  there  are  myriads  ot  concupiscences,  which  as  in¬ 
gredients  enter  into  and  compose  every  evil ;  that  there  are 
mvriads  of  affections,  which,  in  like  manner,  enter  into  everv 
good  as  its  ingredients  and  compose  it ;  and  that  these  myriads 
of  concupiscences  and  affections  exist  in  such  order  and  connec¬ 
tion  in  a  man’s  interiors,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  change  one, 
without  at  the  same  time  changing  the  whole.  Those  who  do 
not  know  this,  may  think  or  believe  that  evil,  which  appears  to 
them  as  an  entire  one,  can  easily  be  removed,  and  that  good, 
which  also  appears  as  a  one,  can  be  introduced  into  its  place. 
These,  as  they  do  not  know  what  evil  is,  and  what  good  is, 
cannot  but  suppose  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  momentaneor.s 
salvation,  and  immediate  mercy ;  but  that  these  are  not  pos¬ 
sible,  will  be  seen  in  the  last  section  of  this  treatise.  Fourthly, 
That  those  who  believe  in  momentaneous  salvation  and  immediate 
mercy ,  do  not  know  that  the  affections ,  which  are  of  the  will ,  are 
mere  changes  of  the  state  of  the  purely  organic  substances  of  the 
mind :  that  the  thoughts ,  which  are  of  the  understanding ,  are 
mere  changes  and  variations  of  their  form  ;  and  that  the  memory 
is  the  permanent  state  of  those  changes  and  variations.  Who 
does  not  assent  to  the  affirmation  that  affections  and  thoughts 
exist  only  in  substances  and  their  forms,  which  are  the  subjects 
of  them  \  and  as  they  exist  in  the  brain,  which  is  full  of  sub¬ 
stances  and  forms,  they  are  called  forms  purely  organic.  lSro 
one,  who  thinks  rationally,  can  do  otherwise  than  laugh  at  the 
fantasies  of  those  who  suppose  that  affections  and  thoughts  do 
not  exist  in  substantiate  subjects,  but  that  they  are  vapours  modi¬ 
fied  by  heat  and  light,  like  figures  appearing  in  the  air  or  ether  : 
for  thought  can  no  more  exist  separate  from  its  substantial  form, 
than  vision  can  exist  without  its  form,  which  is  the  eye ;  hearing 
without  its  form,  which  is  the  ear ;  or  taste  without  its  form, 
which  is  the  tongue.  Inspect  the  brain,  and  you  will  see  innu¬ 
merable  substances  and  fibres,  and  that  every  part  of  it  is 
organized.  What  need  is  there  of  any  other  than  this  ocular 
proof?  But  it  may  be  asked,  What  'is  affection,  and  what  i a 


OT 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


279 


thought,  in  their  substantiate  subjects?  A  satisfactory  answer 
may  be  deduced  from  all  and  every  thing  in  the  body,  where 
there  are  many  viscera,  each  fixed  in  its  particular  situation, 
and  all  performing  their  functions  by  changes  and  variations  ol 
their  state  and  form.  It  is  well  known  that  they  are  severally 
engaged  in  their  respective  operations, — the  stomach,  the  intes¬ 
tines,  the  kidneys,  the  liver,  pancreas,  and  spleen,  and  likewise 
the  heart  and  lungs,  each  in  its  respective  office ;  all  these  ope¬ 
rations  being  effected  only  intrinsically  or  within  themselves, 
and  to  be  effected  intrinsically  is  to  be  effected  by  variations  of 
state  and  form.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  the  operations  of 
the  purely  organic  substances  of  the  mind  are  of  a  similar 
nature,  with  this  difference  only,  that  those  of  the  organic  sub¬ 
stances  of  the  body  are  natural,  while  those  of  the  organic 
substances  of  the  mind  are  spiritual,  and  that  both  act  together 
as  a  one  by  correspondences.  There  can  be  no  ocular  demon¬ 
stration  of  the  changes  and  variations  of  state  and  form  in  the 
organic  substances  of  the  mind,  which  are  affections  and 
thoughts ;  but  yet  they  may  be  seen,  as  it  were,  in  a  glass,  by 
the  changes  and  variations  of  the  state  of  the  lungs  in  speak¬ 
ing  and  singing,  there  being  a  correspondence  ;  for  the  sound 
of  the  voice  in  speaking  and  singing,  and  also  the  articulations 
of  sound,  which  are  the  words  in  speech  and  the  modulations 
of  the  voice  in  singing,  are  effected  by  the  lungs  ;  and  sound 
corresponds  to  affection,  and  speech  to  thought.  Sound  and 
speech  are  also  produced  by  affection  and  thought,  and  this  by 
means  of  changes  and  variations  of  the  state  and  form  of  the 
organic  substances  of  the  lungs,  and  from  the  lungs  by  the 
trachea  or  wind-pipe  in  the  larynx  and  glottis,  afterwards  in  the 
tongue,  and,  lastly,  in  the  lips.  The  first  changes  and  varia¬ 
tions  of  the  state  and  form  of  sound  are  produced  in  the  lungs, 
the  second  in  the  trachea  and  larynx,  the  third  in  the  glottis  by 
various  openings  of  its  orifice,  the  fourth  in  the  tongue  by  its 
various  applications  to  the  palate  and  teeth,  and  the  fifth  in  the 
lips  by  disposing  them  in  various  forms.  Hence  it  may  appear, 
that  the  mere  changes  and  variations  of  the  state  of  organic 
forms,  successively  continued,  produce  sounds  and  their  articu¬ 
lations,  which  are  speech  and  singing.  How  as  sound  and 
speech  are  produced  from  no  other  source  than  the  affections 
and  thoughts  of  the  mind, — for  from  the  latter  the  former  exist, 
and  never  without  them, — it  is  evident  that  the  affections  of 
the  will  are  changes  and  variations  of  the  state  of  the  purely 
organic  substances  of  the  mind,  and  that  the  thoughts  of  the 
understanding  are  changes  and  variations  of  the  form  of  those 
substances ;  similar  to  what  takes  place  in  the  lungs.  Since 
affections  and  thoughts  are  mere  changes  in  the  state  of  the 
forms  of  the  mind,  it  follows  that  the  memory  is  no  other  than 
the  permanent  state  thereof ;  for  all  changes  and  variations  oi 
205 


279 — 2S1 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


state  in  organ  m  substances  are  of  such  a  nature,  that  when 
once  they  become  habitual,  they  are  permanent.  Thus  the 
lungs  are  habituated  to  produce  various  sounds  in  the  trachea, 
to  vary  them  in  the  glottis,  to  articulate  them  in  the  tongue, 
and  to  modify  them  in  the  mouth ;  and  when  those  organs  are 
once  habituated  to  them,  such  sounds  are  in  them,  and  can  be 
reproduced.  That  these  changes  and  variations  are  infinitely 
more  perfect  in  the  organs  of  the  mind  than  in  the  organs  of 
the  body,  is  evident  from  what  is  said  in  the  treatise  concerning 
The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  n.  119 — 201,  where 
it  is  shown,  that  all  perfections  increase  and  ascend  with  degrees, 
and  according  to  them.  On  this  subject  more  may  be  seen 
below,  n.  319. 

2S0.  To  suppose  that  when  sins  are  remitted,  they  are  also 
removed,  is  likewise  an  error  of  this  age.  Those  are  in  this 
error  who  suppose  their  sins  to  be  remitted  by  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord’s  Supper,  although  they  have  not  removed  them  from 
themselves  by  repentance;  and  those  also  are  in  this  error  who 
think  to  be  saved  by  faith  alone,  as  well  as  those  who  think  to 
be  saved  by  dispensations  from  the  Pope.  All  these  believe  in 
immediate  mercy  and  momentaneous  salvation.  When,  however, 
this  proposition  is  reversed  it  becomes  a  truth,  namely,  that  when 
sins  are  removed  they  are  also  remitted  :  for  repentance  must 
precede  remission,  and  without  repentance  there  is  no  remission; 
therefore  the  Lord  commanded  his  disciples  to  preach  repentance 
for  the  remission  of  sins  (Luke  xxiv.  27);  and  John  preached 
the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins  (Luke  iii.  3). 
The  Lord  remits  the  sins  of  all  men :  he  does  not  accuse  and 
impute :  yet  he  can  only  take  them  away  according  to  the  laws 
of  his  Divine  Providence  ;  for  since  he  said  to  Peter  (who  asked 
him  how  often  he  should  forgive  his  brother  when  he  sinned 
against  him,  whether  till  seven  times)  that  he  ought  to  forgive 
him  not  only  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven  (Matt, 
xviii.  21,  22),  what  then  will  not  the  Lord  do,  wdio  is  Mercy 
itself? 

281.  IY.  That  thus  the  permission  of  evil  is  for  a  certain 
end ,  which  is  salvation.  It  is  well  known  that  a  man  is  in  full 
liberty  to  think  and  will,  but  not  in  full  liberty  to  speak  and 
act  whatever  he  thinks  and  wills  :  for  he  may  think  as  an  Atheist, 
deny  God,  and  blaspheme  the  holy  things  of  the  Word  and  the 
church ;  he  may  even  desire  in  word  and  deed  utterly  to  destroy 
them ;  but  this  is  prevented  by  civil,  moral,  and  ecclesiastical 
laws ;  and  he  therefore  inwardly  cherishes  such  impious  and 
wicked  desires  by  thinking  and  wishing,  and  also  intending 
them,  but  not  by  doing  them.  A  man,  who  is  not  an  Atheist,  is 
also  at  full  liberty  to  think  on  many  things  which  are  of  evil, 
as  frauds,  lasciviousness,  vindictiveness,  and  other  insanities, 
which  at  times  he  also  does.  Who  cannot  believe  that  unless  a 
206 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


281,  282 


man  had  t  J1  liberty,  lie  not  only  could  not  be  saved,  but  would 

even  totally  perish  ?  Hear  now  the  cause  of  this.  Every  man 

iron:  his  birth  is  in  evils  of  manv  kinds.  These  evils  are  in  his 

•/ 

will,  and  the  things  which  are  in  the  will  are  loved ;  for  that 
which  a  man  wills  from  his  interior  he  loves,  and  that  which 
he  loves  he  wills ;  and  the  love  of  the  will  flows  into  the  under¬ 
standing:,  there  causing  its  delight  to  be  felt.  Hence  it  comes 
into  the  thoughts,  and  also  into  the  intentions.  If,  therefore, 
a  man  were  not  permitted  to  think  according  to  the  love  of  his 
will,  which  is  hereditarily  inherent  in  him,  that  love  would 
continue  shut  up,  and  would  never  appear  to  him ;  and  that 
love  of  evil  which  does  not  appear  is  like  an  enemy  lying  in 
wait,  or  like  corrupted  matter  in  an  ulcer,  poison  in  the  blood, 
and  rottenness  in  the  breast,  which,  if  kept  inclosed,  will  produce 
death.  But  when  a  man  is  permitted  to  think  upon  the  evils 
of  his  life’s  love,  so  far  even  as  to  intend  them,  they  are  cured 
by  spiritual  means,  as  diseases  are  by  natural  means.  What  a 
man’s  quality  would  be  were  he  not  permitted  to  think  according 
to  the  delights  of  his  life’s  love,  shall  now  be  shown.  He  would 
no  longer  be  a  man,  for  he  would  lose  the  two  faculties  which  are 
called  liberty  and  rationality,  in  which  humanity  itself  consists  ; 
the  delights  of  the  above  evils  would  occupy  the  interiors  of  his 
mind  to  such  a  degree,  that  they  would  open  the  door  of  it ; 
and  then  he  could  not  help  speaking  and  acting  in  conformity 
with  those  evils;  thus  his  insanity  would  not  only  be  known 
to  himself,  but  would  also  appear  to  the  world  ;  and  at  length 
he  would  not  have  the  sense  to  cover  his  nakedness.  But  to 
prevent  this  being  the  case,  he  is  permitted  to  think  and  will 
his  hereditary  evils,  but  not  to  speak  and  do  them.  In  the  mean 
time  he  learns  things  civil,  moral,  and  spiritual,  which  also  enter 
into  his  thoughts,  and  remove  these  insanities ;  and  thereby  he 
is  healed  by  the  Lord ;  but  yet  no  farther  than  to  know  how  to 
keep  the  door  shut,  unless  he  also  acknowledge  a  God,  and  im¬ 
plore  his  assistance,  that  he  may  be  able  to  resist  the  above  evils  ; 
and  so  far  as  he  then  resists,  he  does  not  admit  them  into  his 
intentions,  and  at  length,  not  even  into  his  thoughts.  Since 
then  a  man  is  at  liberty  to  think  as  he  pleases,  to  the  end  that 
his  life’s  love  may  come  forth  from  its  lurking  place  into  the 
light  of  his  understanding,  and  since  otherwise  lie  would  not 
know  any  thing  of  his  own  evil,  and  consequently  would  not 
know  how  to  expel  it,  it  follows  that  it  would  increase  in  him  to 
such  a  degree  that  there  would  be  no  possibility  of  amendment 
in  him,  and  scarcely  in  his  children,  if  he  had  any ;  for  the  evil 
of  the  parent  is  transmitted  to  his  offspring.  The  Lord,  however 
provides  that  this  may  not  be  the  case. 

282.  The  Lord  could  heal  the  understanding  in  every  man. 
and  so  cause  him  to  think  not  evil,  but  good,  and  this  by  means 
of  various  fears,  by  miracles,  by  speaking  with  the  dead,  and 

207 


282—284 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


by  visions  and  dreams  ;  but  to  heal  the  understanding  only  is 
merely  to  heal  the  man  outwardly ;  for  the  understanding  with 
its  thought  is  the  external  of  a  man’s  life,  and  the  will  with  its 
affection  is  its  internal.  The  healing  of  the  understanding  alone, 
therefore,  would  be  like  a  palliative,  by  which  the  interior 
malignity  is  closed  up  and  prevented  from  coming  out ;  so  that 
it  consumes  first  the  neighbouring  parts  and  afterwards  the 
more  remote,  till  the  whole  is  mortified.  It  is  the  will  itself 
which  is  to  be  healed,  not  by  influx  of  the  understanding  into 
it,  because  that  never  takes  place,  but  by  instruction  and  ex¬ 
hortation  from  the  understanding.  If  the  understanding  alone 
were  healed,  the  man  would  become  like  a  dead  body  embalmed, 
or  covered  over  with  fragrant  aromatics  and  roses,  which  in  a 
short  time  would  contract  such  a  stench  from  the  corpse  that  no 
one  could  come  near  it.  Such  would  be  the  case  with  celes¬ 
tial  truths  in  the  understanding,  if  the  evil  love  of  the  will  were 
obstructed. 

283.  The  reason  why  a  man  is  permitted  to  think  evils,  even 
so  far  as  to  intend  them,  is,  as  was  observed,  that  they  may  bo 
removed  by  considerations  of  a  civil,  moral,  and  spiritual  na¬ 
ture  ;  as  is  the  case  when  he  thinks  that  they  are  contrary  to 
justice  and  equity,  to  honesty  and  decency,  and  to  goodness  and 
truth,  therefore  contrary  to  the  tranquillity,  pleasure,  and  hap¬ 
piness  of  life.  By  these  three  considerations  the  Lord  heals  the 
love  of  a  man’s  will ;  and  at  first,  indeed,  by  fear,  afterwards 
by  love.  Still,  however,  evils  are  not  separated  and  cast  out 
from  the  man,  but  only  removed  and  put  away  to  the  sides; 
and  when  they  are  there,  and  good  is  in  the  centre,  they  do  not 
appear:  for  whatever  is  in  the  centre  is  directly  under  inspec¬ 
tion,  and  is  seen  and  perceived :  but  it  should  be  known  that 
although  good  is  in  the  centre,  yet  the  man  is  not  therefore  in 
good,  unless  the  evils  which  are  at  the  sides  tend  downwards 
and  outwards ;  if  they  look  upwards  or  inwards,  they  are  not 
removed ;  for  they  still  endeavour  to  return  to  the  centre :  they 
turn  and  look  downwards  or  outwards,  when  the  man  shuns  his 
evils  as  sins,  and  still  more  when  he  has  an  aversion  to  them ; 
for  lie  then  condemns  and  devotes  them  to  hell,  and  causes  them 
to  look  thitherward. 

284.  A  man’s  understanding  is  a  recipient  of  good  as  well 
as  of  evil,  and  of  truth  as  well  as  of  falsity,  but  not  his  will, 
which  must  be  either  in  evil  or  in  good ;  it  cannot  be  in  both ; 
for  the  will  is  the  man  himself,  and  therein  is  his  life’s  love. 
But  good  and  evil  in  the  understanding  are  separated,  like  in¬ 
ternal  and  external ;  hence  a  man  may  be  interiorly  in  evil,  and 
exteriorly  in  good.  Still,  however,  when  a  man  is  reformed, 
good  and  evil  are  committed,  and  there  then  exists  a  conflict  or 
combat,  which,  if  grievous,  is  called  temptation,  but  if  not,  is 
like  the  fermentation  of  wine  or  wort.  In  such  case,  if  good 

208 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


28 ±,  2S5 

overcomes,  evil  with,  its  falsities  is  removed  to  the  sides,  as  the 
lees  fall  to  the  bottom  of  a  vessel,  and  good  becomes  like  gene¬ 
rous  wine  after  fermentation,  or  clear  liquor  ;  but  if  evil  over¬ 
comes,  good  with  its  truth  is  removed  to  the  sides,  and  it  b* 
comes  turbid  and  foul  like  unfermented  wine  or  liquor.  Thu* 
comparison  of  fermentation  is  used  because  leaven  in  the  ord 
sio-nifies  the  falsity  of  evil,  as  in  Ilosea  vii.  4  ;  Luke  xii.  1;  and 

O  t J  '  / 

ether  places. 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  IS  EQUALLY  WITH  THE  WICKED 

AND  THE  GOOD. 

2 So.  In  every  man,  whether  he  be  good  or  evil,  there  arc 
two  faculties,  one  of  which  constitutes  the  understanding  and 
the  other  the  will.  The  faculty  which  constitutes  the  under¬ 
standing  consists  in  his  beiim  able  to  understand  and  think,  and 
thence  is  called  rationality;  and  that  which  constitutes  the  will 
consists  in  his  being  able  freely  to  think,  and  thence  also  to 
speak  and  act,  provided  it  be  not  contrary  to  reason  or  ration¬ 
ality  ;  for  to  act  freely  is  to  act  as  often  as  he  wills,  and  accord¬ 
ing  as  he  wills.  Since  these  two  faculties  are  perpetual,  and 
continual  from  primaries  to  ultimates  in  all  and  every  par¬ 
ticular  which  a  man  thinks  and  does,  and  are  not  in  the  man 
from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord,  it  follows  that  there  is  the 
Lord’s  presence  with  and  in  these  faculties  in  each  particular, 
even  in  the  most  minute  particulars  of  a  man's  understanding 
and  thought  as  well  as  of  his  will  and  affection,  and  thence  in 
the  most  minute  particulars  of  his  speech  and  actions.  Remove 
these  faculties  from  the  smallest  particular,  and  you  will  not  be 
able  to  think  or  speak  it  as  a  man.  That  a  man  is  a  man  by 
virtue  of  these  two  faculties,  that  he  can  thereby  think  and 
speak,  perceive  goods  and  understand  truths,  not  only  such  as 
are  civil  and  moral,  but  also  such  as  are  spiritual,  and  can  be 
reformed  and  regenerated, — in  a  word,  that  he  can  be  joined  to 
the  Lord,  and  thereby  live  eternally,  was  abundantly  shown 
above  ;  and  it  was  also  shown  that  these  two  faculties  are  pos¬ 
sessed  not  only  by  good  men,  but  also  by  the  wicked.  Row  as 
these  faculties  are  from  the  Lord,  and  are  not  appropriated  to  a 
man  as  his  own,  for  that  which  is  divine  cannot  be  appropriated 
to  a  man  as  his  own,  but  can  be  adjoined  to  him,  and  thence 
appear  as  his  ;  and  as  this  divine  in  a  man  exists  in  the  most 
minute  particulars  appertaining  to  him,  it  follows,  that  the  Lord 
governs  things  the  most  particular,  in  a  wicked  as  well  as  in  a 
good  man;  and  it  is  the  government  of  the  Lord  which  is  called 
the  Divine  Providence. 

209 


286,  287 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


286.  Now  as  it  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence  that  a  man 
should  act  freely  according  to  reason,  that  is,  from  the  two 
faculties,  liberty  and  rationality ;  as  it  is  also  a  law  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  that  what  he  does  should  appear  to  the  man 
as  from  himself,  consequently  as  his  own  ;  and  as  it  is  moreover 
a  law,  that  evils  are  to  be  permitted  to  the  end  that  he  may  be 
led  out  of  them,  it  follows,  that  a  man  may  abuse  these  faculties, 
and  from  liberty  according  to  reason  confirm  whatever  he  will ; 
for  he  can  make  whatever  he  will  a  persuasion  of  his  reason, 
whether  it  be  reasonable  in  itself  or  not.  Therefore  some  sav, 
W  hat  is  truth  ?  Cannot  I  make  true  whatever  I  will  ?  and  does 
not  also  the  world  do  so?  Yet  he  that  can  do  this  does  it  by 
reasonings.  Assume  a  proposition  the  most  false,  and  tell  an 
ingenious  person  to  confirm  it,  and  he  will  do  so.  For  example, 
tell  him  to  prove  that  a  man  is  a  beast ;  or  that  the  soul  is  like 
a  little  spider  in  its  web,  governing  the  body  as  the  spider  does 
by  its  threads  ;  or  that  religion  is  nothing  but  a  bond  of  con¬ 
straint  ;  and  he  will  prove  any  of  these  propositions,  till  it  will 
appear  true.  And  what  is  easier  ?  for  he  does  not  know  what 
is  an  appearance  or  what  is  a  falsity,  which  from  a  blind  beliet 
is  assumed  as  a  truth.  Hence  it  is  that  a  man  cannot  see  this 
truth,  that  the  Divine  Providence  operates  in  the  most  minute 
particulars  of  the  understanding  and  will,  or  what  amounts  to 
the  same  thing,  in  the  most  minute  particulars  of  the  thoughts 
and  affections  of  every  man,  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good.  He 
confounds  himself  principally  by  supposing  that  in  this  case 
evils  also  would  be  from  the  Lord ;  nevertheless,  that  not  the 
least  evil  is  from  the  Lord,  but  that  it  is  from  man,  by  means 
of  his  confirming  in  himself  the  appearance  that  he  thinks,  wills, 
speaks,  and  acts  from  himself,  will  be  seen  in  what  now  follows  ; 
which,  that  it  may  be  clearly  understood,  shall  be  demonstrated 
in  this  order.  I.  That  the  Divine  Providence,  not  only  with 
the  good,  but  also  with  the  wicked,  is  universal  in  things  the 
most  particular ;  and  yet  that  it  is  not  in  their  evils.  II.  That 
the  wicked  continually  lead  themselves  into  evils,  but  that  the 
Lord  continually  withdraws  them  from  evils.  III.  That  the 
Lord  cannot  entirely  lead  the  wicked  out  of  evil,  and  into  good, 
so  long  as  they  consider  self-derived  intelligence  to  be  all,  and 
the  Divine  Providence  nothing.  IY.  That  the  Lord  governs  hell 
by  opposites,  and  the  wicked  who  are  in  the  world  he  governs  in 
hell  as  to  interiors,  but  not  as  to  exteriors. 

2S7.  I.  That  the  Divine  Providence ,  not  only  with  the  good , 
but  also  with  the  wicked ,  is  universal  in  things  the  most,  particu¬ 
lar,  and  yet  that  it  is  not  in  their  evils.  It  was  shown  above  that 
the  Divine  Providence  is  in  the  minutest  particulars  of  men’s 
thoughts  and  affections ;  by  which  it  is  meant  that  a  man  can 
think  and  will  nothing  from  himself,  but  that  all  he  thinks  and 
wills,  and  thence  speaks  and  does,  is  by  influx, — by  influx  from 
210 


THE  DEVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


287—289 


heaven  if  it  is  good,  and  by  influx  from  hell  if  it  is  evil ;  or, 
what  amounts  to  the  same,  that  good  is  by  influx  from  the 
Lord,  and  evil  from  man’s  proprimn.  I  know,  however,  that 
this  is  difficult  to  be  comprehended ;  because  a  distinction  is 
made  between  that  which  flows  in  from  heaven,  or  from  the 
Lord,  and  that  which  flows  in  from  hell,  or  from  man’s  proprium ; 
while  it  is  said,  notwithstanding,  that  the  Divine  Providence  is 
in  the  minutest  particulars  of  a  man’s  thoughts  and  affections, 
so  that  he  can  think  and  will  nothing  from  himself;  and  because 
it  is  said,  that  he  can  also  think  and  will  from  hell,  and  from 
his  proprium,  this  appears  like  a  contradiction  ;  but  yet  it  is  not. 
That  it  is  not  a  contradiction  will  be  seen  in  what  follows,  after 
some  things  are  premised  which  will  illustrate  this  matter. 

288.  All  the  angels  of  heaven  confess  that  no  one  can  think 
from  himself,  but  only  from  the  Lord  ;  but  all  the  spirits  of  hell 
affirm  that  no  one  can  think  from  any  other  than  himself; 
though  sometimes  it  has  been  shown  to  the  latter,  that  not  one 
of  them  thinks  from  himself,  or  can  do  it,  but  that  thought 
flows  in.  In  vain,  however,  was  this  shown  them,  for  they 
would  not  receive  it.  Experience  however  shall  teach,  first, 
that  the  whole  of  thought  and  affection,  even  in  the  infernal 
spirits,  flows  in  from  heaven ;  but  that  influent  good  is  there 
turned  into  evil,  and  truth  into  falsity,  thus  every  thing  into  its 
opposite.  This  was  proved  by  the  following  experiment.  There 
was  let  down  out  of  heaven  a  certain  truth  from  the  Word;  it 
was  received  by  those  who  were  in  the  superior  hells,  sent  down 
from  them  to  the  inferior  hells,  and  so  on  to  the  lowest ;  in  its 
passage  it  was  successively  turned  into  falsity,  and  at  length 
into  such  falsity  as  was  directly  opposite  to  that  truth.  Those 
among  whom  it  was  so  changed  thought  the  falsitv  from  them- 
selves,  and  knew  no  otherwise ;  when,  nevertheless,  what  they 
thought  was  that  truth  descending  from  heaven  so  falsified  and 
perverted  in  its  way  to  the  lowest  hell.  I  have  heard  that  this 
was  done  three  or  four  times.  The  case  is  the  same  with  good, 
which  in  its  descent  from  heaven  is  progressively  turned  into 
evil  opposite  to  such  good.  Thence  it  was  evident,  that  truth 
and  good  proceeding  from  the  Lord,  when  received  by  those 
who  are  in  falsity  and  evil,  is  changed,  and  passes  into  another 
form,  so  that  its  first  form  does  not  appear.  Thus  it  is  with 
every  wicked  man ;  for  such  a  one  as  to  his  spirit  is  in  hell. 

289.  It  has  often  been  manifested  to  me  that  no  one  in  hell 
thinks  from  himself,  but  from  others  about  him,  and  those  also 
not  from  themselves,  but  still  from  others ;  and  that  thoughts 
and  affections  make  an  orderly  progression  from  one  society  tc 
another,  without  any  one's  knowing  otherwise  than  that  they 
are  from  himself.  Some,  who  supposed  they  thought  and  willed 
from  themselves,  were  sent  into  a  society,  all  communication 
being  cut  off  with  their  neighbours,  to  whom  also  their  thoughts 

211  o 


2S9— 291 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


used  to  extend  themselves,  and  they  were  detained  therein. 
They  were  then  told  to  think  otherwise  than  the  spirits  of  that 
society  thought,  and  to  force  themselves  to  think  contrary  to  it, 
but  they  confessed  that  they  found  it  impossible.  This  was 
done  by  many,  and  among  others  with  Leibnitz,  who  was  also 
convinced,  that  no  one  thinks  from  himself,  but  from  others, 
and  that  neither  do  those  others  think  from  themselves,  but  all 
oy  influx  from  heaven,  and  heaven  by  influx  from  the  Lord. 
Some,  when  they  meditated  on  this  matter,  said  that  it  was 
astonishing,  and  that  scarce  any  one  would  be  led  to  believe  it, 
because  it  is  quite  contrary  to  appearance,  but  that  yet  they 
could  not  deny  it,  because  it  was  fully  proved.  Nevertheless, 
in  their  state  of  astonishment,  they  said,  that  at  this  rate  they 
are  not  in  fault  when  they  think  evil ;  also,  that  thus  it  would 
seem  as  it  evil  were  from  the  Lord ;  and,  moreover,  that  they 
did  not  comprehend  how  the  Lord  alone  could  cause  all  to  think 
so  differently.  But  these  three  points  shall  be  explained  in 
what  follows. 

290.  To  the  experience  already  adduced  this  also  shall  be 
added.  TThen  it  was  granted  me  by  the  Lord  to  speak  with 
spirits  and  angels,  this  arcanum  was  immediately  revealed  to 
me  ;  for  it  was  told  me  out  of  heaven,  that  like  others  I  believed 
that  I  thought  and  willed  from  myself,  when  nevertheless  it  was 
not  from  myself,  but  if  good,  from  the  Lord,  and  if  evil,  from 
hell.  That  this  was  the  case  was  also  demonstrated  to  me  in  a 
lively  manner  by  various  thoughts  and  affections  induced,  and 
I  was  enabled  successively  to  perceive  and  feel  it ;  therefore 
afterwards,  as  soon  as  anv  evil  stole  into  my  will,  or  any  falsitv 
into  my  thoughts,  I  inquired  whence  it  came,  when  it  was  dis¬ 
covered  to  me  ;  and  moreover  it  was  permitted  me  to  speak  with 
those  who  infused  it,  to  rebuke  them,  and  to  drive  them  away, 
that  they  might  retire,  thus  withdraw  their  evil  and  falsity,  and 
keep  it  to  themselves,  no  longer  infusing  any  such  thing  into 
my  thoughts.  This  has  been  done  a  thousand  times ;  and  in 
this  state  I  have  now  remained  for  many  years,  and  still  con¬ 
tinue  in  it ;  vet  I  seem  to  myself,  entirelv  like  others,  to  think 
and  will  from  myself,  for  it  is  of  the  Lord’s  Divine  Providence 
that  it  should  so  appear  to  every  one,  as  was  shown  above  in 
its  proper  place.  Novitiate  spirits  wonder  at  this  my  state;  for 
it  seems  to  them  as  if  I  did  not  think  and  will  any  thing  from 
myself,  and  therefore  that  I  am  like  something  empty ;  but  I 
opened  this  arcanum  to  them ;  and  moreover  that  I  also  think 
more  interiorly,  and  perceive  what  flows  into  my  exterior 
thought,  whether  it  be  from  heaven  or  from  hell ;  that  I  reject 
the  latter  and  receive  the  former ;  and  that  still  I  seem  to  my¬ 
self,  just  as  they  do,  to  think  and  will  from  myself. 

291.  That  all  good  is  from  heaven,  and  ah  evil  from  hell,  is 
not  unknown  in  the  world.  It  is  known  to  every  one  in  the 

212 


THE  DIVES E  PROVIDENCE. 


291,  292 


cnurch.  Who  that  is  admitted  into  the  priesthood,  does  not 
teach  that  all  good  is  from  God,  and  that  a  man  cannot  take 
any  thing  of  himself  which  is  not  given  him  from  heaven  ;  also, 
that  the  devil  infuses  evils  into  men’s  thoughts,  seduces  them, 
and  excites  them  to  do  evils?  Therefore  a  priest,  who  thinks 
he  preaches  from  holy  zeal,  prays  that  the  Holy  Ghost  would 
teach  him,  and  influence  his  thoughts  and  words.  Some  say 
they  perceive  sensibly  that  they  are  acted  upon ;  and  when  their 
preachings  are  commended,  answer  piously,  that  they  did  not 
speak  from  themselves,  hut  from  God.  Therefore,  also,  when 
they  see  any  one  speak  and  act  well,  they  say  he  was  led  by 
God  to  do  it ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  when  they  see  any  one 
speak  and  act  wickedly,  they  say  he  was  led  to  it  by  the  devil. 
That  this  is  the  language  of  the  church  is  well  known  ;  but  who 
believes  in  the  truth  of  it  ? 

292.  That  all  which  a  man  thinks  and  wills,  and  conse¬ 
quently  says  and  does,  flows  from  the  only  Fountain  of  life,  and 
yet  that  the  only  Fountain  of  life,  which  is  the  Lord,  is  not  the 
cause  of  a  man’s  thinking  what  is  evil  and  false,  may  be  illus¬ 
trated  by  the  following;  circumstance  in  the  natural  world.  From 
its  sun  proceed  heat  and  light;  and  these  two  flow  into  all  the 
subjects  and  objects  which  we  see,  not  only  into  good  subjects 
and  beautiful  objects,  but  also  into  evil  subjects  and  deformed 
objects,  producing  in  them  various  effects  ;  for  they  flow  not 
only  into  trees  which  bear  good  fruit,  but  also  into  such  as  bear 
bad  fruit,  and  even  into  the  fruits  themselves,  causing  them  to 
vegetate.  In  like  manner,  they  flow  into  good  seed,  and  also 
into  tares  ;  likewise  into  useful  or  wholesome  shrubs,  and  into 
hurtful  or  poisonous  ones.  Yet  it  is  the  same  heat  and  light, 
in  which  there  is  not  anv  cause  of  evil;  for  that  exists  in  the 
recipient  subjects  and  objects.  The  heat  which  hatches  eggs 
containing  an  owl,  a  screech-owl,  or  an  asp,  is  similar  to  that 
which  hatches  eggs  containing  a  dove,  a  beautiful  bird,  or  a 
swan.  Set  both  kinds  of  eggs  under  a  lien,  and  they  will  be 
hatched  by  her  heat,  which  in  itself  is  harmless.  What  then 
has  the  heat  in  common  with  those  evil  and  noxious  things? 
The  action  of  heat,  when  it  flows  into  marshy  grounds,  ster- 
coraceous,  putrid,  and  cadaverous  substances,  is  the  same  as 
when  it  flows  into  vinous,  fragrant,  vegetating,  and  living  sub 
stances.  Who  but  must  see  that  the  cause  does  not  exist  in  the 
heat,  but  in  the  recipient  subject?  The  same  light,  also,  pro¬ 
duces  in  one  object  beautiful,  and  in  another  disagreeable  colours  ; 
it  even  brightens  itself  and  shines  in  white  objects,  while  it 
becomes  opaque  and  darkness  itself  in  objects  verging  towards 
black.  It  is  the  same  in  the  spiritua*  world,  where  also  there 
are  heat  and  light  from  the  sun  thereof,  which  is  the  Lord. 
The  heat  and  light  flow  from  him  into  their  subjects  and  objects; 
which  subjects  and  objects  there  are  angels  and  spirits,  sped* 
21 3 


292—294 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


tically  the  things  appertaining  to  their  voluntary  and  intellectual 
faculties  ;  the  heat  there  being  the  proceeding  Divine  Love,  and 
the  light  there  the  proceeding  Divine  Wisdom.  The  cause  oi 
their  being  received  differently  by  one  and  by  another  does  not 
exist  in  the  heat  and  light ;  for  the  Lord  says,  that  “  He  maketli 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on 
the  just  and  on  the  unjust  ”  (Matt.  v.  45).  By  sun,  in  the 
supreme  spiritual  sense,  is  meant  the  Divine  Love,  and  by  rain 
the  Divine  Wisdom. 

293.  To  this  I  will  add  a  sentiment  of  the  angels  concerning 
will  and  intelligence  in  man :  it  is  this, — that  there  does  not 
exist  in  any  man  one  grain  of  will  or  prudence  that  is  proper  to 
himself;  for  they  say,  if  there  existed  one  grain  in  any  man, 
neither  heaven  nor  hell  could  hold  together,  and  the  whole 
human  race  would  perish.  The  reason  of  this,  they  say,  is, 
because  myriads  of  myriads  of  men,  as  many  as  have  been 
born  since  the  creation  of  the  world,  constitute  heaven  and 
hell,  in  which  there  is  such  order  and  subordination  that  they 
respectively  make  a  one, — heaven  one  beautiful  man,  and  hell 
one  monstrous  man  ;  and  if  any  individual  person  had  a  single 
grain  of  will  and  intelligence  of  his  own,  this  one  could  not 
possibly  exist,  but  would  be  distracted,  and  that  divine  form 
would  perish  ;  which  can  no  otherwise  consist  and  be  permanent, 
than  when  the  Lord  is  all  in  all,  and  they  altogether  nothing. 
Another  reason,  they  say,  is,  because  the  divine  principle  con¬ 
sists  essentially  in  thinking  and  willing  from  itself,  while  the 
human  principle  consists  essentially  in  thinking  and  willing 
from  God  ;  and  what  is  essentially  divine  cannot  be  appropriated 
to  any  man,  for  in  that  case  he  would  be  a  god.  Keep  this  in  re¬ 
membrance  ;  and  if  you  desire  it,  it  will  be  confirmed  to  you  by  * 
the  angels,  when  you  enter  into  the  spiritual  world  after  death. 

294.  It  was  observed  above,  n.  289,  that  when  some  were 
convinced  that  no  one  thinks  from  himself,  but  from  others, 
and  that  all  those  others  think,  not  from  themselves,  but  by 
influx  through  heaven  from  the  Lord,  they  said  in  astonishment 
that,  this  being  the  case,  it  would  not  be  their  fault  if  they  did 
evil ;  also,  that  thus  it  would  seem  that  evil  is  from  the  Lord ; 
and  that  they  did  not  comprehend  that  the  Lord  alone  could 
cause  all  to  think  so  diversely.  How  as  these  three  suggestions 
cannot  but  flow  into  the  thoughts  of  those  who  think  only  of 
effects  from  effects,  and  not  of  effects  from  causes,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  be  assumed,  and  explained  from  their  causes. 
First,  That  this  being  the  case ,  it  would  not  be  their  fault  if  they 
did  evil :  for  if  aL  that  a  man  thinks  flows  from  others,  it  seems 
as  if  the  fault  were  in  those  from  whom  it  flows.  Yet  the  fault 
is  in  him  who  receives  ;  for  he  receives  it  as  his  own,  and  neither 
knows  nor  wishes  to  know  any  otherwise ;  because  every  one 
desires  to  be  his  own,  to  be  guided  by  himself,  and  especially 

214 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


294 


to  think  and  will  from  himself.  This  is  liberty  itself,  which 
appears  as  the  proprium  in  which  every  man  is :  therefore  if  he 
knew  that  whatever  he  thinks  and  wills  flows  from  another,  he 
would  seem  to  himself  to  be  in  chains  and  captivity,  and  no 
longer  master  of  himself ;  thus  all  the  delight  of  his  life  would 
perish,  and  at  length  his  humanity  itself.  That  this  is  the  case 
I  have  frequently  seen  proved.  Certain  spirits  were  permitted 
to  perceive  and  feel  that  they  were  led  by  others,  and  then  their 
anger  was  kindled  to  such  a  degree  that  they  became  as  it  were 
beside  themselves,  saying  that  they  would  rather  be  kept  in 
chains  in  hell,  than  not  be  allowed  to  think  as  they  will,  and 
will  as  they  think.  LTot  to  be  allowed  to  do  this,  they  called 
being  chained  with  respect  to  their  very  lives,  which  was  harder 
and  more  intolerable  than  being  chained  with  respect  to  their 
bodies.  dSTot  to  be  allowed  to  speak  and  act  as  they  thought 
and  willed,  they  did  not  call  being  chained  ;  because  the  delight 
of  civil  and  moral  life,  which  consists  in  speaking  and  acting, 
restrains,  and,  at  the  same  time,  as  it  were,  alleviates  the 
restraint,  Aow  as  a  man  does  not  desire  to  know  that  he  is  led 
to  think  by  others,  but  is  desirous  to  think  from  himself,  and 
also  believes  that  he  does  so,  it  follows  that  the  fault  is  in 
himself,  and  that  he  cannot  free  himself  from  it  so  long  as  he 
continues  to  think  what  he  does  ;  but  if  he  does  not  love  it,  he 
dissolves  his  connection  with  those  from  whom  his  thought 
flows.  This  is  the  case  when  he  knows  that  it  is  evil,  and 
therefore  desires  to  shun  it  and  desist  from  it.  Then  also  he  is 
taken  away  by  the  Lord  from  the  society  which  is  in  that  evil, 
and  translated  to  a  society  in  which  it  does  not  exist ;  but  if  he 
knows  the  evil,  and  does  not  shun  it,  then  the  fault  is  imputed 
to  him,  and  he  becomes  guilty  of  that  evil.  Therefore,  whatever 
a  man  thinks  he  does  from  himself  is  said  to  be  done  from  the 
man,  and  not  from  the  Lord.  Secondly,  That  thus  it  would 
seem  that  evil  is  from  the  Lord.  This  may  be  thought  to  be  a 
conclusion  deducible  from  what  was  shown  above,  n.  2S8,  which 
is,  that  influent  good  from  the  Lord  is  turned  into  evil,  and 
truth  into  falsity,  in  hell.  But  who  cannot  see  that  evil  and 
falsity  are  not  from  goodness  and  truth,  consequently  not  from 
the  Lord,  but  from  the  recipient  subject  and  object,  which  is 
in  evil  and  falsity,  and  perverts  and  inverts  goodness  and  truth, 

as  was  also  fully  shown  above,  n.  292  ?  Whence  arise  the  evil 

«/  ' 

and  falsity  in  a  man  is  repeatedly  shown  in  the  preceding  pages. 
An  experiment  was  also  made  in  the  spiritual  world  with  those 
who  thought  that  the  Lord  could  remove  evils  from  the  wicked, 
and  introduce  good  in.  place  thereof,  thus  could  transfer  all  hell 
into  heaven,  and  save  all ;  but  that  this  is  impossible  will  be 
seen  at  the  end  of  this  treatise,  where  momentaneous  salvation 
rnd  immediate  mercy  are  treated  of.  Thirdly,  That  they  did 
not  comprehend  that  the  Lord  alone  could  cause  all  to  think  so 


215 


294 — 296 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


diversely.  The  divine  love  of  the  Lord  is  infinite,  his  divine 
wisdom  is  infinite  ;  and  infinite  things  of  love  and  of  wisdom 
proceed  from  the  Lord,  and  flow  into  all  in  heaven,  thence  into 
all  in  hell,  and  from  both  into  all  in  the  world  :  there  cannot, 
therefore,  be  wanting  to  any  one  something  to  think  and  to 
will,  for  infinite  things  are  infinitely  all.  Those  infinite  things 
which  proceed  from  the  Lord,  flow  not  only  universally,  but 
also  most  particularly ;  for  the  divine  is  universal,  existing  in 
things  the  most  particular.  It  is  divine  particulars,  as  was 
shown  above,  which  compose  what  is  called  universal ;  and  the 
most  minute  divine  particular  is  also  infinite.  ITence  it,  may 
appear  that  the  Lord  alone  causes  every  one  to  think  and  will 
according  to  his  quality,  and  according  to  the  laws  of  his  pro¬ 
vidence.  That  all  the  things  which  are  in  the  Lord,  and  pro¬ 
ceed  from  the  Lord,  are  infinite,  was  shown  above,  n.  46 — 69  ; 
and  also  in  the  treatise  On  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine 
Ytisdom,  n.  IT — 22. 

295.  II.  That  the  wicked  continually  lead  themselves  into 
evils ,  hut  that  the  Lord  continually  withdraws  them  from  evils. 
It  may  be  more  easily  comprehended  how  the  Divine  Providence 
operates  with  the  good  than  how  it  operates  with  the  evil ;  and 
as  the  latter  operation  is  now  treated  of,  it  shall  be  set  forth  in 
the  following  series.  I.  That  there  are  things  innumerable  in 
every  evil.  II.  That  the  wicked  man  from  himself  continually 
sinks  himself  more  and  more  deeply  into  his  evils.  III.  That 
the  Divine  Providence  with  the  wicked  is  a  continual  permission 
of  evil,  to  the  end  that  there  may  be  a  continual  withdrawal 
therefrom.  IY.  That  the  withdrawal  from  evil  is  effected  by 
the  Lord  by  a  thousand  most  secret  means. 

296.  In  order  then  that  the  Divine  Providence  with  the 
wicked  may  be  distinctly  perceived,  and  thus  comprehended, 
the  above  propositions  shall  be  explained  in  the  order  in  which 
they  are  adduced.  First,  That  there  are  things  innumerable  in 
every  evil.  Every  evil  appears  to  us  as  one  simple  thing.  This 
is  the  case  with  hatred  and  revenge,  theft  and  fraud,  adultery 
and  whoredom,  pride  and  high-mindedness,  and  with  every 
other  evil ;  and  it  is  not  known  that  in  every  evil  there  are 
things  innumerable,  exceeding  in  number  the  fibres  and  vessels 
in  a  man’s  body  ;  but  a  wicked  man  is  a  hell  in  its  least  form, 
and  hell  consists  of  myriads  of  myriads,  every  one  tl  ere  being 
in  a  human  form,  although  it  be  a  monstrous  one,  and  all  the 
fibres  and  vessels  in  it  inverted.  The  spirit  itself  is  evil,  ap¬ 
pearing  to  itself  as  one  ;  but  innumerable  as  are  the  things 
which  are  in  it,  so  innumerable  are  the  concupiscences  of  its 
evils ;  for  every  man  is  his  own  evil  or  his  own  good,  from  the 
crown  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  foot.  Since  then  a  wicked 
man  is  such,  it  is  evident  that  he  is  one  evil,  composed  of  various 
innumerable  ones,  which  are  distinctly  evils,  and  are  called  con 

216 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


296 


cupiscences  of  evil.  Hence  it  follows,  that  all  these  in  their 
order  are  to  be  repaired  and  converted  by  the  Lord,  in  order 
that  the  man  may  be  reformed ;  and  that  this  cannot  be  effected 
but  by  the  Lord’s  Divine  providence,  from  the  earliest  period 
of  the  man’s  life  to  its  termination  successively.  Every  concu- 
piscence  of  evil  appears  in  hell,  when  it  is  represented,  like 
some  noxious  animal ;  as  for  example,  like  a  dragon,  a  basilisk, 
a  viper,  an  owl,  or  a  screech-owl,  and  so  forth ;  and  in  the  same 
manner  do  the  concupiscences  of  evil  appear  about  a  wicked 
man,  when  he  is  viewed  by  the  angels.  All  these  forms  of  con¬ 
cupiscences  are  to  be  severally  changed.  The  man  himself,  who 
with  respect  to  his  spirit  appears  as  a  monster  or  a  devil,  is  to 
be  converted,  that  he  may  become  like  a  beautiful  angel ;  and 
each  concupiscence  of  evil  is  to  be  converted  or  changed,  that 
it  may  appear  like  a  lamb  or  a  sheep,  or  like  a  pigeon,  or  a 
turtle  dove,  as  the  good  affections  of  the  angels  appear  in  heaven, 
when  they  are  represented  ;  and  the  conversion  of  a  dragon  into 
a  lamb,  of  a  basilisk  into  a  sheep,  and  of  an  owl  into  a  dove, 
cannot  be  effected  except  progressively,  by  rooting  out  evil  from 
its  seed,  and  sowing  good  seed  in  its  place.  But  this  must  be 
done  comparatively  like  the  ingrafting  of  trees,  the  roots  of 
which  with  some  of  the  trunk  remain ;  and  yet  the  ingrafted 
branch  converts  the  juices  extracted  from  the  old  root  into  juices 
producing  good  fruit.  The  branch  which  is  to  be  ingrafted  can¬ 
not  be  taken  from  any  other  but  from  the  Lord,  who  is  the  tree 

V  ' 

of  life  ;  according  also  to  the  Word  of  the  Lord  (John  xv.  1 — 7). 
Secondly,  That  the  wicked  man  from  himself  continually  sinks 
himself  more  deeply  into  his  evils.  It  is  said,  from  himself,  be¬ 
cause  all  evil  is  from  man ;  for  he  converts  into  evil  the  good 
which  is  from  the  Lord,  as  was  said  above.  The  true  reason 
why  the  wicked  man  immerses  himself  more  deeply  in  evil,  is, 
because  as  he  wills  and  does  evil,  he  introduces  himself  more 
and.  more  interiorly,  and  also  more  and  more  deeply,  into  in¬ 
fernal  societies.  Thence  also  the  delight  of  evil  increases,  and 
so  occupies  his  thoughts,  that  at  last  he  feels  nothing  more 
pleasant ;  and  he  that  has  introduced  himself  more  interiorly 
and  deeply  into  infernal  societies,  becomes  like  one  bound  in 
chains.  So  long  as  he  lives  in  the  world,  however,  he  does  not 
teel  his  chains  ;  for  thev  are  like  soft  wool,  or  line  silken  threads, 
which  he  loves  because  they  are  pleasurable ;  but  after  death 
those  chains,  instead  of  being  soft  are  hard,  and  instead  of 
being  pleasurable  are  galling.  That  the  delight  of  evil  is 
capable  of  increase  is  well  known  from  thefts,  robberies,  depre¬ 
dations,  revenges,  tyrannies,  the  desire  of  lucre,  and  other 
evils.  Who  does  not  feel  elevations  of  the  delight  of  these 
evils,  m  proportion  to  his  success  and  the  unrestrained  practice 
ot  them  ?  It  is  well  known  that  the  thief  feels  such  delight 
m  thefts  that  he  cannot  desist  from  them,  and  what  is  surpris- 
217 


296 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


ing,  that  he  loves  one  stolen  piece  of  money  better  thar  ten 
that  are  given  him.  It  would  be  the  same  with  adulteries,  were 
it  not  provided  that  the  power  of  committing  that  evil  decreases 
with  the  abuse  of  it ;  yet  with  many  there  remains  a  delight  in 
thinking  and  speaking  of  it,  and  if  nothing  more,  a  lust  ol 
touching.  But  it  is  not  known  what  is  the  reason  of  this  in¬ 
crease  of  delight,  and  that  it  is  a  consequence  of  the  person’s 
introducing  himself  into  infernal  societies  more  and  more  inte¬ 
riorly,  and  more  and  more  deeply,  as  he  commits  evils  in  will 
and  at  the  same  time  in  thought.  If  the  evils  are  only  in 
thought,  and  not  in  will,  he  is  not  yet  with  evil  in  an  infernal 
society ;  but  he  enters  it  when  they  are  also  in  the  will.  If  in 
this  case  he  also  thinks  that  such  evil  is  contrary  to  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  the  Decalogue,  and  considers  these  precepts  as  divine, 
he  commits  it  intentionally,  and  thereby  plunges  himself  more 
deeply  into  hell,  whence  he  cannot  be  drawn  out  but  by  actual 
repentance.  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  every  man,  with  respect 
to  his  spirit,  is  in  some  society  of  the  spiritual  world, — a  wicked 
man  in  some  infernal  society,  and  a  good  man  in  some  celestial 
society.  He  also  appears  there  sometimes  when  he  is  in  deep 
meditation.  Moreover,  as  sound,  together  with  speech,  diffuses 
itself  in  the  air  in  the  natural  world,  so  does  affection,  together 
with  thought,  diffuse  itself  among  societies  in  the  spiritual  world  ; 
and  there  is  a  correspondence  between  them, — affection  corres¬ 
ponding  to  sound,  and  thought  to  speech.  Thirdly,  That  the 
Divine  Providence  with  the  wicked  is  a  continual  permission 
of  evil ,  in  order  that  they  may  ~be  continually  drawn  out  of  it. 
The  reason  why  the  Divine  Providence  with  wicked  men  is  con¬ 
tinual  permission,  is,  because  nothing  but  evil  can  proceed  from 
their  life ;  for  a  man,  whether  he  be  in  good  or  in  evil,  cannot 
be  in  both  at  once,  nor  in  either  alternately,  except  he  be  luke¬ 
warm  ;  and  evil  of  life  is  not  introduced  by  the  Lord  into  the 
will,  and  through  it  into  the  thought,  but  it  is  introduced  by 
man,  and  this  is  called  permission.  How  as  all  that  a  wicked 
man  wills  and  thinks  is  of  permission,  it  may  be  asked,  How 
then  is  the  Divine  Providence  therein,  which  is  said  to  be  in 
the  most  minute  particulars  with  every  man,  the  wicked  as  well 
as  the  good  ?  I  answer,  In  this  respect,  that  it  continually 
permits  for  a  certain  end,  permitting  such  things  as  are  condu¬ 
cive  to  that  end,  and  no  others ;  and  that  it  continually  ex¬ 
amines,  separates,  and  purifies  the  evils  which  issue  forth  by 
permission,  putting  off  and  removing  by  unknown  ways  such 
as  are  not  consistent  with  the  end  proposed.  These  things  are 
done  principally  in  a  man’s  interior  will,  and  from  it  in  his  inte¬ 
rior  thought.  The  Divine  Providence  is  also  continual,  in  pro¬ 
viding  that  those  things  which  are  to  be  put  off  and  removed 
shall  not  be  again  received  by  the  will;  because  all  things 
which  are  received  by  the  will  are  appropriated  to  the  manj 
218 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


296 


but  those  which  are  received  in  the  thought  and  not  in  the  will 
are  separated  and  set  aside.  This  is  the  Lord’s  continual  pro¬ 
vidence  with  the  wicked,  which,  as  was  observed,  is  a  continual 
permission  of  evil,  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  perpetually 
drawn  out  of  it.  Of  these  operations  of  Providence  a  man 
scarcely  knows  any  thing,  because  he  does  not  perceive  them ; 
the  chief  reason  of  which  is,  that  evils  are  of  the  concupis¬ 
cences  of  his  life’s  love,  and  those  are  not  perceived  as  evils, 
but  as  delights,  to  which  no  one  attends ;  for  who  attends  to 
the  delights  of  his  love?  A  man’s  thought  swims  in  them, 
like  a  boat  carried  along  in  the  stream  of  a  river;  and  they  are 
perceived  as  a  fragrant  atmosphere,  which  is  drawn  in  with  full 
inspiration.  He  can  only  perceive  something  of  them  in  his 
external  thought ;  but  he  does  not  attend  to  them  even  there, 
unless  he  well  knows  that  they  are  evils.  But  of  this  more 
will  be  said  in  what  follows.  Fourthly,  That  the  withdrawal 
f  rom  evil  is  effected  by  the  Lord  by  a  thousand  most  secret  means. 
Of  these  some  few  only  have  been  discovered  to  me,  and  these 
but  of  a  general  nature,  which  are,  that  the  delights  of  con¬ 
cupiscences,  of  which  a  man  knows  nothing,  are  emitted  in 
companies  and  bundles  into  his  interior  thoughts,  which  are 
those  of  his  spirit,  thence  into  his  exterior  thoughts,  in  which 
they  make  their  appearance  under  some  sense  of  pleasure, 
satisfaction,  or  cupidity,  and  are  there  intermixed  with  his 
natural  and  sensual  delights.  It  is  here  that  the  means  of 
separation  and  purification  are,  and  also  the  ways  of  withdrawal 
and  removal.  These  means  are  principally  the  delights  of  me¬ 
ditation,  thought,  and  reflection  for  the  sake  of  certain  ends, 
which  are  of  use ;  and  ends  which  are  of  use  are  as  many  in 
number  as  the  particulars  and  singulars  of  any  man’s  business 
•  and  function ;  also,  as  many  in  number  as  there  are  delights 
of  reflection,  in  order  that  he  may  appear  as  a  civil  and  moral 
and  also  as  a  spiritual  man,  besides  the  undelightful  things 
which  interpose.  These  delights,  as  they  are  of  his  love  in  the 
external  man,  are  the  means  of  separation,  purification,  rejection, 
and  withdrawal  of  the  delights  of  the  concupiscences  of  evil  of 
the  internal  man.  Take  for  example  an  unjust  judge,  who  has 
in  view  his  own  interest  and  the  connections  of  friendship  as  the 
ends  or  uses  of  his  function.  Interiorly  he  has  continually  those 
ends  in  view,  but  exteriorly  his  object  is  to  act  as  a  skilful 
lawyer  and  a  just  man.  He  is  continually  in  the  delight  of 
meditating,  thinking,  reflecting  upon,  and  intending,  to  bend 
what  is  right,  to  turn,  adapt,  and  accommodate  it,  so  that  it 
may  seem  conformable  to  the  laws  and  consistent  with  justice. 
He  does  not  know  that  his  internal  delight  consists  of  cunning, 
fraud,  deceit,  clandestine  thefts,  and  many  other  things ;  and 
that  this  delight  compounded  of  so  many  delights  of  the  con¬ 
cupiscences  of  evil,  rules  in  the  whole  and  in  every  particular  of 
219 


296 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


his  external  thought,  in  which  exist  the  delights  of  the  appearance 
that  he  is  just  and  sincere.  The  internal  delights  are  let  down 
into  these  external  delights,  and  mixed  like  food  in  the  stomach, 
where  they  are  separated,  purified,  and  drawn  off ;  hut  this  is 
the  case  only  with  the  more  grievous  delights  of  the  concu- 
piscences  ot  evil ;  for  in  a  wicked  man  there  take  place  no  other 
separation,  purification,  and  removal,  than  that  of  the  more 
grievous  evils  from  the  less  grievous.  In  a  good  man,  however, 
there  take  place  a  separation,  purification,  and  removal  of  the 
less  as  well  as  of  the  more  grievous  evils ;  and  this  is  effected 
by  the  delights  of  the  affections  of  good  and  truth,  and  of 
justice  and  sincerity,  into  which  he  enters  in  proportion  as  he 
considers  evils  as  sins,  and  therefore  shuns  and  holds  them  in 
aversion,  and  still  more  when  he  fights  against  them.  These 
are  the  means  by  which  the  Lord  purifies  all  who  are  saved. 
He  also  purifies  them  by  external  means  which  have  respect  to 
fame  and  honour,  and  sometimes  to  interest :  vet  into  these  the 
Lord  inserts  delights  of  the  affections  of  good  and  truth,  by 
which  they  are  so  directed  and  adapted  as  to  become  delights 
of  the  love  of  the  neighbour.  If  anv  one  were  to  see  the  de- 
lights  of  the  concupiscences  of  evil  together,  in  any  form,  or 
were  to  perceive  them  distinctly  with  any  sense,  he  would  see 
and  perceive  them  in  such  number  that  they  could  not  be  de¬ 
fined  ;  for  the  whole  of  hell  is  no  other  than  the  form  of  all 
the  concupiscences  of  evil ;  and  no  concupiscence  of  evil  there 

is,  or  can  be  to  all  eternity,  exactly  like  another,  or  the  same 
with  it.  Of  these  innumerable  concupiscences  a  man  scarcely 
knows  anv  thing,  much  less  how  they  are  connected ;  and  vet 
the  Lord,  by  his  Divine  Providence,  continually  permits  that 
they  should  come  forth,  to  the  end  that  they  may  be  drawn  off, 
which  is  done  in  regular  order  and  series  ;  for  a  wicked  man  is 
a  hell  in  its  least  form,  as  a  good  man  is  a  heaven  in  its  least 
form.  That  the  withdrawal  from  evils  is  effected  by  the  Lord 
by  a  thousand  most  secret  means,  cannot  better  be  seen,  and 
thereby  concluded  upon,  than  from  the  secret  operations  of  the 
soul  in  the  body.  Those  with  which  a  man  is  acquainted  are 
the  following :  with  respect  to  the  food  he  is  to  eat,  he  looks  at 

it,  smells  it,  has  an  appetite  for  it,  tastes  it,  chews  it  with  his 
teeth,  turns  it  about  with  his  tongue,  and  thus  swallows  it 
down  into  the  stomach.  But  the  secret  operations  of  the  soul 
with  which  he  is  unacquainted,  because  he  does  not  perceive 
them,  are  the  following :  the  stomach  turns  about  the  food  it  has 
received,  opens  and  separates  its  parts  by  means  of  its  solvent 
liquor,  that  is,  digests  it,  and  presents  such  as  is  properly  pre¬ 
pared  to  the  mouths  of  the  vessels  opening  into  the  intestines, 
which  drink  it  up.  It  also  distributes  some  parts  into  the 
blood,  some  into  the  lymphatic  vessels,  some  into  the  lacteal 
vessels  of  the  mesentery,  and  conveys  some  down  the  intestines 

220 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


296,  29T 


Afterwards,  the  chyle,  which  is  drawn  through  the  vessels  of 
the  mesentery  into  its  receptacle,  is  conveyed  torough  the  tho¬ 
racic  duct  into  the  vena  cava,  and  so  into  the  heart ;  from  the 
heart  into  the  lungs,  thence  through  the  left  ventricle  of  the 
heart  into  the  aorta,  and  from  the  aorta  by  its  different  rami¬ 
fications  into  the  viscera  of  the  whole  body,  and  also  into  the 
kidneys ;  in  each  of  which  there  is  a  separation  and  purification 
of  the  blood,  and  a  removal  of  heterogeneous  parts  ;  not  to  men¬ 
tion  how  the  heart  distributes  its  blood  to  the  brain  after  it  has 
been  purified  in  the  lungs,  which  is  done  by  the  arteries  called 
carotids,  and  how  the  brain  returns  the  blood  vivified  into  the 
above-mentioned  vena  cava,  into  which  the  thoracic  duct  empties 
the  chyle,  and  so  again  to  the  heart.  These,  besides  innumer¬ 
able  others,  are  the  secret  operations  of  the  soul  in  the  body. 
A  man  perceives  nothing  of  these,  and  he  that  is  not  skilled  in 
anatomy  knows  nothing  of  them.  Yet  similar  things  are  done 
in  the  interiors  of  a  man’s  mind ;  for  nothing  can  be  done  in  the 
body,  except  from  the  mind,  inasmuch  as  a  man’s  mind  is  his 
spirit,  and  his  spirit  is  equally  a  man,  with  this  difference  only, 
that  the  things  wfiiich  are  done  in  the  body  are  done  natu¬ 
rally,  and  those  which  are  done  in  the  mind  are  done  spiritually : 
there  is  a  perfect  similitude.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  the  Divine 
Providence  operates  by  a  thousand  hidden  ways  in  every  man  ; 
that  its  end  is  continually  to  purify  him,  because  its  end  is  to 
save  him  ;  and  that  nothing  more  is  incumbent  upon  a  man  than 
to  remove  evils  in  the  external  man,  the  Lord  providing  the  rest, 
if  he  be  implored. 

297.  III.  That  the  Lord  cannot  entirely  lead  the  wicked 
out  of  evils ,  and  into  goods ,  so  long  as  they  consider  self -derived 
intelligence  to  he  all ,  and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing.  It 
appears  as  if  a  man  could  lead  himself  out  of  evils,  if  he  would 
but  think  that  this  or  that  is  contrary  to  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity,  contrary  to  utility,  and  contrary  to  the  laws  of  his 
country  and  the  law  of  nations ;  and  this  a  wicked  man  can  do 
as  well  as  a  good  man,  provided  that,  by  birth,  or  from  the  ex¬ 
ercise  of  his  faculties,  he  is  able  to  think  within  himself  analy¬ 
tically  and  rationally  in  a  distinct  manner.  He  is  not  able,  how¬ 
ever,  to  draw  himself  out  of  evil ;  the  reason  of  which  is,  that 
although  the  faculty  of  understanding  and  perceiving  things  even 
abstractly  is  given  by  the  Lord  to  every  one,  the  wicked  as  well 
as  the  good,  as  has  been  shown  in  many  places  above,  yet  still, 
a  man  cannot  by  means  of  this  faculty  draw  himself  out  of  evil, 
because  evil  is  of  the  will,  and  the  understanding  does  not  flow 
into  the  will  except  with  light  only,  illuminating  and  teaching  ; 
and  if  the  heat  of  the  will,  that  is,  the  man’s  life’s  love,  is  fervid 
from  the  concupiscence  of  evil,  it  is  frigid  as  to  the  affection  of 
good,  and  therefore  does  not  receive  light,  but  either  rejects  or 
extinguishes  it,  or  by  some  invented  false  principle  converts  it 
221 


297,  298 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


into  evil.  The  case  herein  is  as  with  the  light  of  winter,  which  is 
equally  as  clear  as  the  light  of  summer,  and  which  flowing  into 
cold  trees  produces  a  similar  effect.  These  things  however  will 
be  seen  more  fully  in  the  following  order.  1.  That  self-derived 
intelligence,  when  the  will  is  in  evil,  sees  nothing  but  what  is 
false ;  and  that  it  neither  will  nor  can  see  any  thing  else.  2. 
That  if  self-derived  intelligence  then  sees  truth,  it  turns  itself 
away,  or  falsifies  it.  3.  That  the  Divine  Providence  continually 
causes  a  man  to  see  truth,  and  also  gives  him  the  affection  of 
perceiving  and  receiving  it.  4.  That  a  man  is  thereby  drawn 
out  of  evil,  not  by  himself,  but  by  the  Lord. 

298.  These  propositions  shall  be  explained  in  their  proper 
order  to  the  rational  man,  whether  he  be  wicked  or  good,  thus 
whether  he  be  in  the  light  of  winter  or  of  summer,  for  colours 
appear  alike  in  both.  First,  That  self-derived  intelligence ,  when 
the  will  is  in  evil ,  sees  nothing  hut  ichat  is  false  •  and  that  it 
neither  will  nor  can  see  any  thing  else.  This  has  often  been 
experimentally  shown  in  the  spiritual  world.  Every  man,  when 
he  becomes  a  spirit,  which  he  does  after  death  (for  he  then  puts 
off  his  material  body,  and  puts  on  a  spiritual  one),  is  alternately 
let  into  the  two  states  of  his  life,  the  external  and  the  internal. 
When  he  is  in  the  external  state,  he  speaks  and  acts  rationally 
and  wisely,  just  like  a  rational  and  wise  man  in  the  world  ;  he 
can  also  teach  others  many  things  which  relate  to  moral  and 
civil  life  ;  and  if  he  has  been  a  preacher,  he  can  also  teach  things 
relating  to  spiritual  life.  But  when  he  is  let  out  of  this  into 
his  internal  state, — when  the  external  is  laid  asleep,  and  the 
internal  is  awakened, — if  he  is  wicked,  the  scene  is  changed; 
instead  of  rational,  he  becomes  sensual,  and  instead  of  wise, 
insane  ;  for  he  thinks  then  from  the  evil  of  his  will  and  its  delight, 
therefore  from  self-derived  intelligence ;  he  sees  nothing  but 
what  is  false,  and  does  nothing  but  evil,  thinking  that  malice 
is  wisdom,  and  cunning  is  prudence ;  and  from  self-derived  in¬ 
telligence  he  fancies  himself  a  god,  and  imbibes  with  all  his 
soul  the  most  wicked  arts.  Such  insanity  I  have  often  seen : 
I  have  also  seen  spirits  let  into  these  alternate  states  two  or 
three  times  in  an  hour ;  and  then  it  was  granted  them  to  see 
their  insanities,  and  to  acknowledge  them ;  yet  they  wTould  not 
remain  in  their  rational  and  moral  state,  but  of  their  own  accord 
turned  themselves  to  their  internal,  sensual,  and  insane  state; 
for  this  they  loved  more  than  the  other,  because  therein  consisted 
the  delight  of  their  life’s  love.  Who  could  suppose  that  a 
wicked  man  is  such  beneath  his  outward  appearance,  and  that 
he  undergoes  such  a  metamorphosis  when  he  comes  into  his 
interior  state  ?  From  this  experience  alone  may  appear  the 
nature  of  self-derived  intelligence,  when  it  thinks  and  acts  from 
the  evil  of  its  will.  The  case  is  different  with  the  good,  when 
they  are  let  into  an  internal  state  from  an  external,  the} 


THE  DIVINE  RROVIDENCE. 


298 


becoming  still  more  wise  and  moral  than  before.  Secondly, 
That  if  self -derived  intelligence  then  sees  truth  ft  either  turns 
itself  away,  or  falsifies  it.  Every  man  has  a  voluntary  proprinm 
and  an  intellectual  proprium  :  his  voluntary  proprinm  is  evil, 
and  his  intellectual  proprium  the  falsity  thence  derived ;  the 
latter  is  meant  by  the  will  of  man,  and  the  former  bv  the  will 
of  the  flesh  (John  i.  13).  The  voluntary  proprium  is  in  its 
essence  self-love,  and  the  intellectual  proprium  is  pride  pro¬ 
ceeding  from  that  love.  These  are  like  two  connubial  partners, 
and  their  marriage  is  called  the  marriage  of  evil  and  falsity. 
Every  evil  spirit  is  let  into  this  marriage  before  he  is  admitted 
into  hell ;  and  when  he  is  in  this  state,  he  does  not  know  what 
good  is ;  for  he  calls  his  own  evil  good,  because  he  feels  it  as 
his  delight.  He  then  also  turns  himself  away  from  truth,  and 
will  not  see  it ;  because  the  falsity  agreeing  with  his  evil  is  seen 
by  him  as  beautiful  objects  are  by  the  eye,  and  is  heard  as 
harmonious  sounds  by  the  ear.  Thirdly,  That  the  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence  continually  causes  a  man  to  see  truth ,  and  cdso  gives  him 
the  affection  of  perceiving  ana. I  receiving  it.  The  reason  of  this 
is,  because  the  Divine  Providence  acts  from  within,  and  flows 
thence  into  the  exteriors  ;  or  it  acts  from  the  spiritual  man  upon 
the  things  which  are  in  the  natural  man,  and  bv  the  light  of 

o  JO  o 


heaven  illuminates  his  understanding,  and  by  its  heat  vivifies 
Ins  will.  The  light  of  heaven  is  in  its  essence  divine  wisdom, 

O  <  / 

and  the  heat  of  heaven  is  in  its  essence  divine  love  :  from  divine 
wisdom  nothing  can  flow  but  truth,  and  from  divine  love  nothing 
but  good,  from  which  the  Lord  gives  in  the  understanding  the 
affection  of  seeing  truth,  and  also  of  perceiving  and  receiving  it. 
Thus  a  man  is  made  a  man,  not  only  as  to  his  external  face,  but 

j 


also  as  to  his  internal.  Who  does  not  wish  to  seem  a  rational 

and  spiritual  man ;  and  who  does  not  know  that  he  wishes  to 

seem  so  in  order  that  he  may  be  thought  by  others  to  be  a  true 

man  ?  If,  therefore,  he  is  rational  and  spiritual  in  his  external 

form  only,  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  his  internal,  can  he  be 

a  man  ?  can  he  be  said  to  be  otherwise  than  like  a  player  upon 

the  stage,  or  like  an  ape  whose  face  nearly  resembles  a  man’s? 

May  he  not  know  from  thence  that  he  alone  is  a  man  who  in- 
«/ 


teriorly  is  such  as  he  desires  to  be  thought  by  others  ?  Tie  who 

‘Zn  v 

acknowledges  the  one,  acknowledges  the  other.  Self  derived 
intelligence  can  induce  the  human  form  only  in  externals,  but 
the  Divine  Providence  induces  it  in  internals,  and  through 
internals  in  externals ;  and  when  it  is  induced,  a  man  does  not 
barely  appear  to  be  man,  but  is  one.  Fourthly,  That  a  man 
is  thereby  drawn  out  of  evil ,  not  by  himself,  but  by  the  Lord. 
The  reason  why  a  man  can  be  drawn  out  of  evil,  when  the 
Divine  Providence  gives  the  perception  of  truth,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  affection  thereof,  is,  because  truth  shows  and 
dictates;  and  when  the  will  performs  what  is  thus  dictated,  it 
223 


298—300 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


joins  itself  therewith,  converting  in  itself  truth  into  good ;  for 
truth  then  becomes  the  truth  of  a  man’s  love,  and  that  which 
is  of  the  love  is  good.  All  reformation  is  effected  by  truth,  and 
not  without  it ;  tor  without  truth  the  will  is  continually  in  its 
evil,  and  if  it  consults  the  understanding  it  is  not  instructed, 
but  evil  is  confirmed  by  falsities.  As  to  what  relates  to  intel¬ 
ligence.  it  appears  to  be  his  own  both  in  a  good  man  and  a 
wicked  man  ;  and  a  good  man  is  also  obliged,  as  well  as  a  wicked 
man,  to  act  from  intelligence  seemingly  proper  to  himself;  yet 
he  who  believes  in  the  Divine  Providence  is  withdrawn  from 
evil,  but  he  who  does  not  is  not  withdrawn.  He  believes  in  it 
who  acknowledges  evil  to  be  sin,  and  desires  to  be  delivered 
from  it ;  and  he  does  not  believe  in  it  who  does  not  acknowledge 
and  desire  this.  The  difference  between  these  two  kinds  of  in¬ 
telligence  is  like  the  difference  between  that  which  is  thought 
to  exist  in  itself  and  that  which  is  thought  not  to  exist  in  itself, 
but  yet  as  if  in  itself ;  and  it  is  also  like  the  difference  between 
an  external  without  a  correspondent  internal,  and  an  external 
with  a  correspond ent  internal ;  consequently,  like  the  differ¬ 
ence  between  the  words  and  gestures  of  mimics  and  players, 
who  personate  kings,  princes,  and  generals,  and  those  of  the 
kings,  princes,  and  generals  themselves ;  the  latter  being  in¬ 
teriorly  as  well  as  exteriorly  such,  the  former  only  exteriorly, 
which  exterior  being  put  off,  they  are  called  comedians,  actors, 
and  players. 

299.  IY.  That  the  Lord  governs  hell  l>y  opposites ,  and  the 
wicked  who  are  in  the  world  he  governs  in  hell  as  to  interiors , 
bat  not  as  to  exteriors.  He  who  does  not  know  the  nature  of 
heaven  and  hell,  cannot  at  all  know  the  nature  of  a  man’s  mind, 
which  is  his  spirit  which  lives  after  death.  The  reason  of  this 
is,  because  a  man’s  mind  or  spirit,  in  all  the  particulars  of  its 
form,  is  similar  to  that  of  heaven  or  hell :  there  is  no  difference, 
except  that  one  is  great  and  the  other  small,  or  that  one  is 
an  image,  and  the  other  its  type ;  therefore  a  man,  as  to  his 
mind  or  spirit,  is  either  a  heaven  or  a  hell  in  its  least  form. 
He  that  is  led  by  the  Lord  is  a  heaven,  and  he  that  is  led  by  his 
own  proprium  is  a  hell.  How,  since  I  have  been  made  acquainted 
with  the  nature  both  of  heaven  and  hell,  and  it  is  important  to 
know  what  is  the  nature  of  man  with  respect  to  his  mind  or 
spirit,  I  would  briefly  give  a  description  of  both. 

300.  Ail  in  heaven  are  no  other  than  affections  of  good  and 
thence  thoughts  of  truth ;  and  all  in  hell  are  no  other  than 
concupiscences  of  evil  and  thence  imaginations  of  falsity.  Both 
of  these  are  so  arranged  that  the  concupiscences  of  evil  and  the 
imaginations  of  falsity  in  hell  are  directly  opposite  to  the 
affections  of  good  and  the  thoughts  of  truth  in  heaven.  Hell, 
therefore,  is  under  heaven,  and  diametrically  opposite  to  it ;  as 
much  so  as  two  men  who  lie  opposite  to  each  other,  or  stand 

224 


THE  DIVINE  PKOVIDENCE. 


300—303 


opposite  as  antipodes,  consequently  inverted,  have  the  soles  of 
their  feet  placed  against  each  other,  or  stand  each  upon  the  heels 
of  the  other.  Sometimes  also  hell  appears  in  such  a  situation, 
or  thus  turned,  with  respect  to  heaven.  The  reason  of  this  is, 
because  those  who  are  in  hell  make  the  concupiscences  of  evil 
their  head,  and  the  affections  of  good  their  feet ;  while  those 
who  are  in  heaven  make  the  affections  of  good  their  head,  and 
the  concupiscences  of  evil  the  soles  of  their  feet :  hence  their 
mutual  opposition.  It  is  said  that  in  heaven  there  are  affections 
of  good  and  thence  thoughts  of  truth,  and  that  in  hell  there  are 
concupiscences  of  evil  and  thence  imaginations  of  falsity :  hereby 
is  meant  that  there  are  spirits  and  angels  who  are  such ;  for 
every  one  is  his  own  affection  or  his  own  concupiscence, — the 
angel  of  heaven  his  own  affection,  and  the  spirit  of  hell  his  own 
concupiscence. 

301.  The  reason  why  the  angels  of  heaven  are  affections  of 
good  and  thence  thoughts  of  truth,  is,  because  they  are  recipients 
of  divine  love  and  wisdom  from  the  Lord, — all  affections  of  good 


being  from  divine  love,  and  all  thoughts  of  truth  from  divine 
wisdom ;  and  the  reason  why  the  spirits  of  hell  are  concupis¬ 
cences  of  evil  and  thence  imaginations  of  falsity,  is,  because  they 
are  in  the  love  of  self  and  in  self-derived  intelligence, — all  con¬ 
cupiscences  of  evil  being  from  the  love  of  self,  and  imaginations 
of  falsity  from  self-derived  intelligence. 

302.  The  arrangement  of  affections  in  heaven,  and  of  con¬ 
cupiscences  in  hell,  is  wonderful,  and  known  only  to  the  Lord. 
They  are  respectively  distinguished  into  genera  and  species,  and 
so  conjoined  as  to  act  as  a  one ;  and  as  they  are  distinguished 
into  genera  and  species,  they  are  distinguished  into  greater  or 
lesser  societies  ;  as,  also,  they  are  conjoined  that  they  may  act 
as  a  one,  they  are  conjoined  like  all  the  things  which  are  in  a 
man.  Hence  heaven,  in  its  form,  is  like  a  beautiful  man,  whose 
soul  is  the  divine  love  and  the  divine  wisdom,  consequently  the 
Lord ;  and  hell,  in  its  form,  is  like  a  monstrous  man,  whose  soul 
is  self-love  and  self-derived  intelligence,  consequently  the  devil ; 
for  there  is  no  particular  devil,  who  is  sole  lord  there,  but  self- 
love  is  so  called. 

303.  In  order  however  that  the  nature  of  heaven  and  hell 
maybe  still  better  understood,  instead  of  the  affections  of  good 
suppose  the  delights  of  good,  and  instead  of  the  concupiscences 
of  evil,  the  delights  of  evil ;  for  there  exists  no  affection  or  con¬ 
cupiscence  without  its  delights,  because  delights  constitute  the 
life  of  every  one.  These  delights  are  distinguished  and  con- 
nected,  as  was  said  above  respecting  the  affections  of  good  and 
the  concupiscences  of  evil.  The  delight  of  his  affection  tills  and 
encompasses  every  angel  of  heaven ;  its  common  delight  tills  and 
encompasses  every  society  of  heaven  ;  and  the  delight  of  all 
together,  or  that  which  is  most  general,  tills  and  encompasses 


303—300 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCEKNING 


the  universal  heaven.  In  like  manner,  the  delight  of  his  con¬ 
cupiscence  tills  and  encompasses  every  spirit  of  hell ;  its  com¬ 
mon  delight  every  society  in  hell ;  and  the  delight  of  all,  or  that 
which  is  general,  the  whole  of  hell.  Since  the  affections  of 
heaven  and  the  concupiscences  of  hell  are,  as  was  observed 
above,  diametrically  opposite  to  each  other,  it  is  evident  that 
the  delight  of  heaven  is  insupportable  in  hell ;  and  on  the  other 
hand,  that  the  delight  of  hell  is  insupportable  in  heaven :  hence 
proceed  their  mutual  antipathy,  aversion,  and  separation. 

304.  These  delights,  as  they  constitute  the  life  of  each 
individual  in  particular,  and  of  all  in  common,  are  not  felt  by 
those  who  are  in  them  ;  but  their  opposites  are  felt  when  they 
approach,  especially  when  they  are  converted  into  smells ;  for 
every  delight  corresponds  to  some  smell,  and  in  the  spiritual 
world  may  be  converted  into  it.  Then  the  delight  of  heaven  in 
general  is  felt  like  the  smell  of  a  garden,  with  a  variety  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  fragrances  therein  from  flowers  and  fruits ;  and  the 
delight  of  hell  in  general  is  felt  like  stagnant  water,  into  which 
have  been  cast  divers  kinds  of  filth,  with  a  variety  according  to 
the  stench  of  things  putrid  and  offensive  therein.  In  what  man- 
ner  the  delight  of  each  particular  affection  of  good  in  heaven, 
and  of  each  particular  concupiscence  of  evil  in  hell,  is  felt,  has 
been  made  known  to  me  •  but  it  would  be  tedious  to  exjflain 
it  here. 

305.  I  have  heard  many  persons  recently  come  from  the 
world  complain  that  they  did  not  know  their  lot  would  be  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  affections  of  their  love  ;  saying,  that  in  the  world 
they  did  not  think  about  them,  much  less  about  their  delights, 
because  they  loved  that  which  was  delightful  to  them ;  and  that 
they  only  supposed  the  lot  of  every  one  would  be  according  to 
his  thought  arising  from  intelligence,  especially  according  to 
thoughts  arising  from  piety,  and  also  from  faith :  they  were 
however  answered,  that  they  might  have  known,  if  they  would, 
that  an  evil  life  is  disagreeable  to  heaven  and  displeasing  to 
God,  and  is  pleasing  to  hell  and  delightful  to  the  devil ;  on  the 
other  hand,  that  a  good  life  is  grateful  to  heaven  and  pleasing 
to  God,  and  unpleasant  to  hell  and  disagreeable  to  the  devil ; 
therefore,  that  evil  is  in  itself  offensive,  and  good  in  itself  fra¬ 
grant.  Since  they  might  have  known  this  if  they  would,  why 
did  they  not  shun  evils  as  infernal  and  diabolical,  and  why  did 
they  favour  evils  merely  because  they  were  delightful  ?  Since 
also  they  now  knew  that  the  delights  of  evil  have  an  offensive 
smell,  they  might  also  know  that  those  in  whom  they  abound 
cannot  enter  into  heaven.  After  this  answer,  they  betook  them¬ 
selves  to  those  who  were  in  similar  delights  ;  for  there  and  there 
only  could  they  breathe. 

306.  From  the  idea  now  given  of  heaven  and  hell  it  may 
appear  what  is  the  nature  of  the  mind  of  man  (for,  as  before 

226 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


sob,  m 


said,  a  man's  mind  or  spirit  is  a  heaven  or  a  hell  in  ns  i east, 
form),  namely,  that  his  interiors  are  mere  affections  and  thoughts 
thence  derived,  distinguished  into  genera  and  species,  like 
greater  and  lesser  societies,  and  so  connected  as  to  act  as  a  one  , 
and  that  the  Lord  rules  those  affections  and  thoughts,  in  like 
manner  as  he  rules  heaven  or  hell.  That  a  man  is  either  a 
heaven  or  a  hell  in  its  least  form,  may  he  seen  in  the  work  con- 
cerning  Heaven  and  Hell,  published  in  London  in  the  year 


1T5S,  n.  51 — 87. 

307.  How  to  the  proposition  in  question,  that  the  Lord 
governs  hell  by  opposites,  and  that  the  wicked  who  are  in  the 
world  he  governs  in  hell  as  to  interiors,  but  not  as  to  exteriors. 
As  to  what  relates,  First,  To  the  Lord's  governing  hell  by  op¬ 
posite  s  •  it  is  shown  above,  n.  288,  289,  that  the  angels  of  heaven 
are  not  in  love  and  wisdom,  or  in  the  affection  of  good  and 
thence  in  the  thought  of  truth,  from  themselves,  but  from  the 
Lord ;  and  that  good  and  truth  flow  from  heaven  into  hell ; 
where  good  is  turned  into  evil  and  truth  into  falsity,  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  the  interiors  of  their  minds  being  turned  in  a  contrary 
direction.  How  since  all  things  in  hell  are  opposite  to  all  things 
in  heaven,  it  follows  that  the  Lord  governs  hell  by  opposites. 
Secondly,  That  the  wicked  who  are  in  the  world  are  governed  in 
hell  by  the  Lord /  because  every  man  with  respect  to  his  spirit  is 
in  the  spiritual  world,  and  in  some  society  there, — in  an  infernal 
society  if  he  is  wicked,  and  in  a  celestial  society  if  good ;  for 
his  mind,  which  in  itself  is  spiritual,  cannot  be  anywhere  but 
among  spirits,  into  whose  society  it  also  comes  after  death. 
That  this  is  the  case  has  also  been  said  and  shown  above.  But 
a  man  is  not  there  like  one  of  the  spirits  who  is.  registered  in 
the  society,  for  he  is  continually  in  a  state  of  reformation ; 
therefore,  according  to  his  life  and  its  changes,  he  is  translated 
by  the  Lord  from  one  society  of  hell  to  another,  if  he  is  wicked  ; 
and  if  he  suffers  himself  to  be  reformed,  he  is  led  out  of  hell 
and  introduced  into  heaven,  and  there  also  translated  from  one 
society  to  another.  This  is  continued  until  the  time  of  his 

t / 

death,  after  which  he  is  no  longer  carried  from  one  society  to 
another,  because  he  is  then  no  longer  in  any  state  of  reforma¬ 
tion,  but  remains  in  that  state  in  which  the  nature  of  his  life  has 
placed  him ;  therefore  when  a  man  dies,  he  is  inscribed  in  his 
own  place.  Thirdly,  That  the  Lord  thus  governs  the  wicked  in 
the  world  as  to  their  interiors ,  but  differently  as  to  their  exteriors. 
The  Lord  governs  the  interiors  of  a  man’s  mind  in  the  manner 
just  described,  but  its  exteriors  he  governs  in  the  world  of  spi¬ 
rits,  which  is  in  the  midst  between  heaven  and  hell.  The  reason 
hereof  is,  because  a  man  for  the  most  part  is  different  in  externals 
from  what  he  is  in  internals ;  for  in  externals  he  can  put  on  the 
semblance  of  an  angel  of  light,  and  yet  in  internals  he  may  be 
&  spirit  of  darkness.  Therefore  his  external  is  governed  on. 
227  p 


307.  308 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


way  and  liis  internal  another  ;  Ins  external  is  governed  in  the 
world  of  spirits,  hut  liis  internal  in  heaven  or  hell,  so  long  as  he 
is  in  the  world.  Therefore,  also,  when  he  dies,  he  conies  first 
into  the  world  of  spirits,  and  there  into  his  external.,  which  is 
there  put  off ;  and  this  being  done,  he  is  transferred  to  the  place 
in  which  he  is  inscribed.  The  nature  of  the  world  of  spirits 
may  be  seen  in  the  work  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell,  pub¬ 
lished  in  London  in  the  year  1758,  n.  421 — 535. 


THAT  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  APPROPRIATES  NEITHER  EVIL 

NOR  GOOD  TO  ANY  ONE,  BUT  THAT  SELF-DERIVED  PRUDENCE 

APPROPRIATES  BOTH. 

308.  It  is  believed  by  almost  every  one  that  a  man  thinks 
and  wfills  from  himself,  and  thence  speaks  and  acts  from  him¬ 
self.  Who  of  himself  can  suppose  otherwise,  since  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  it  is  so  strong  that  it  differs  nothing  from  his  really 
thinking,  willing,  speaking,  and  acting  from  himself,  which  yet 
is  not  possible  2  In  The  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the 
Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  it  is  demonstrated  that 
there  is  one  only  life,  and  that  men  are  recipients  of  life ;  also, 
that  a  man’s  will  is  the  receptacle  of  love,  and  his  understand¬ 
ing  the  receptacle  of  wisdom,  which  two  constitute  that  one 
only  life.  It  is  likewise  demonstrated,  that  by  creation,  and 
thence  continually  by  the  Divine  Providence,  it  is  ordained  that 
that  life  should  appear  in  a  man  in  such  a  similitude  as  if  it 
were  his  own,  consequently  proper  to  himself ;  but  that  this  is 
an  appearance  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  a  receptacle.  More¬ 
over,  it  is  demonstrated  above,  n.  288 — 294,  that  no  man  thinks 
from  himself,  but  from  others,  and  that  those  others  do  not 
think  from  themselves,  but  all  from  the  Lord,  the  wicked  as 
well  as  the  good  ;  likewise,  that  this  is  known  in  the  Christian 
world,  especially  among  those  who  not  only  say,  but  believe, 
that  all  goodness  and  truth,  also  all  wisdom,  and  consequently 
.  all  faith  and  charity,  are  from  the  Lord ;  and  that  every  thing 
evil  and  false  is  from  the  devil  or  from  hell.  From  all  these 
premises  no  other  conclusion  can  be  deduced  than  that  whatever 
a  man  thinks  and  wills  comes  by  influx ;  and  that,  as  all  speech 
flows  from  thought  as  an  effect  from  its  cause,  and  all  action  in 
’ike  manner  from  the  will,  therefore  whatever  a  man  speaks  and 
acts  comes  likewise  by  influx,  although  derivately  or  mediately. 
That  whatever  a  man  sees,  hears,  smells,  tastes,  and  feels, 
comes  by  influx,  cannot  be  denied ;  why  not  then  what  he 
thinks  and  wills?  Can  there  be  any  difference,  except  that 
•such  things  as  are  in  the  natural  world  flow  into  or  impress  the 
cr£?*:ns  of  the  external  senses,  or  of  the  body,  while  such  tilings 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


308,  309 


sw?  are  in  the  spiritual  world  flow  into  or  impress  the  organic 
substances  of  the  internal  senses,  or  of  the  mind?  Therefore, 
that  as  the  organs  of  the  external  senses,  or  of  the  body,  are 
receptacles  of  natural  objects,  so  the  organic  substances  of  the 
internal  senses,  or  of  the  mind,  are  receptacles  of  spiritual 
objects.  Since  this  is  every  man’s  condition,  what  then  is  his 
proprium?  His  proprium  does  not  consist  in  his  being  such  or 
such  a  receptacle,  because  this  proprium  is  nothing  but  his 
quality  with  respect  to  reception,  and  is  not  the  proprium  of 
life;  for  by  proprium  no  one  means  any  thing  but  that  which 
lives  from  itself,  and  thence  thinks  and  wills  from  itself;  but 
that  such  a  proprium  does  not  exist  in  any  man,  yea,  that 
it  cannot  exist  in  any  one,  follows  from  what  has  been  said 
above. 

309.  I  will  here  relate  what  I  have  heard  from  some  in  the 
spiritual  world.  They  were  such  as  believed  self-derived  pru¬ 
dence  to  be  every  thing,  and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing. 
I  said  that  a  man  has  not  any  proprium,  unless  you  choose  to 
make  his  proprium  consist  in  his  being  such  and  such  a  subject, 
or  such  and  such  an  organ,  or  such  and  such  a  form ;  and  this 
is  not  the  proprium  which  is  meant,  for  it  is  only  his  quality : 
but  no  man  has  any  proprium  in  the  sense  in  which  proprium 
is  commonly  understood.  Those  who  ascribed  all  things  to  self- 
derived  prudence,  and  who  may  be  called  proprietaries,  being 
the  image  of  such  characters,  grew  so  enraged,  that  a  flame 
appeared  issuing  from  their  nostrils,  and  they  said,  You  utter 
paradoxes  and  insanities ;  would  not  a  man  in  such  case  be  an 
empty  nothing?  lie  would  either  be  a  mere  ideal  being  and 
fantasy,  or  he  would  be  an  image  or  statue.  To  this  I  could 
only  answer,  that  it  was  paradoxical  and  insane  to  believe  that 
a  man  is  life  from  himself,  and  that  wisdom  and  prudence  do 
not  flow  from  God,  but  are  in  the  man,  consequently  also  the 
good  which  is  of  charity  and  the  truth  which  is  of  faith.  For 
any  one  to  attribute  these  to  himself  is  called  insanity  by  every 
wise  man,  and  is  therefore  also  a  paradox.  Persons  so  doing 
are  like  those  who  dwell  in  the  house  or  estate  of  another,  and, 
being  in  possession,  persuade  themselves  that  they  are  their 
own;  or  like  agents  and  stewards,  who  think  all  their  master’s 
property  their  own  ;  and  like  what  the  servants  would  have  been 
to  whom  the  Lord  gave  the  talents  to  trade  with,  in  case  they 
had  rendered  no  account  of  them,  but  kept  them  as  their  own, 
and  so  acted  as  thieves.  Of  such  it  may  very  justly  be  said 
that  they  are  insane,  that  they  are  indeed  empty  nothings,  and 
that  they  are  idealists,  because  they  have  not  in  themselves  from 
the  Lord  any  good,  which  is  the  very  essence  of  life,  nor,  con¬ 
sequently,  have  they  any  truth  ;  therefore  such  are  also  called 
the  dead,  and  likewise  nothings  and  emptiness,  in  Isaiah  xL 
IT,  23  ;  and  in  other  places,  makers  of  images,  id  and  statues 
229 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


309,  310 

But  of  these  things  more  below,  to  be  explained  in  the  follow¬ 
ing  order.  I.  "What  self-derived  prudence  is,  and  what  that 
prudence  which  is  not  self-derived.  II.  That  a  man  from  self- 
derived  prudence  persuades  himself,  and  confirms  himself  in 
the  idea,  that  every  good  and  truth  is  from  himself,  and  in 
himself,  and  in  like  manner  every  evil  and  falsity.  III.  That 
every  thing  of  which  a  man  is  persuaded,  and  in  which  he  is 
confirmed,  remains  as  his  proprium.  IY.  That  if  a  man  would 
believe,  as  is  the  truth,  that  every  thing  good  and  true  is  from 
the  Lord,  and  every  thing  evil  and  false  from  hell,  he  would 
neither  appropriate  to  himself  good  and  account  it  meritorious, 
nor  would  he  appropriate  evil,  and  make  himself  accountable 
for  it. 

310.  I.  I Yhat  self -derived  prudence  is,  and  what  that  pru¬ 
dence  which  is  not  self -derived.  Those  are  in  self-derived  pru¬ 
dence  who  confirm  in  themselves  appearances,  and  make  them 
truths,  especially  this  appearance,  that  self-derived  prudence  is 
every  thing,  and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing,  except  some¬ 
thing  very  general,  which  nevertheless,  as  was  shown  above, 
cannot  exist  without  particulars  of  which  it  must  consist.  They 
are  also  in  fallacies,  for  every  appearance  confirmed  as  a  truth 
becomes  a  fallacy ;  and  in  proportion  as  they  confirm  themselves 
from  fallacies  they  become  naturalists,  in  the  same  proportion 
believing  nothing  but  what  they  can  at  the  same  time  perceive 
with  one  of  the  bodily  senses,  especially  the  sight,  because  this 
principally  acts  in  union  with  thought.  Such  persons  at  last 
become  sensual ;  and  if  they  confirm  themselves  in  favour  of 
nature  against  God,  they  close  the  interiors  of  their  mind,  and 
interpose  as  it  were  a  veil,  afterwards  thinking  what  is  under 
the  veil,  and  nothing  which  is  above  it.  These  sensualists  were 
called  by  the  ancients  serpents  of  the  tree  of  knowledge.  Of 
them  it  is  said,  in  the  spiritual  world,  that  as  they  confirm 
themselves,  they  close  the  interiors  of  their  minds,  even  at 
length  unto  the  nose ;  for  the  nose  signifies  perception  of  truth, 
and  when  closed,  indicates  no  perception  at  all.  Their  cha¬ 
racter  shall  now  be  described :  they  are  more  cunning  and 
crafty  than  others,  and  are  also  ingenious  reasoners ;  and  cun- 
ning  and  craftiness  they  call  intelligence  and  wisdom,  nor  do 
they  know  any  other.  Those  who  are  not  of  this  description 
they  consider  as  simple  and  stupid,  especially  the  worshipers  of 
God  and  the  confessors  of  the  Divine  Providence.  AVith  respect 
to  the  interior  principles  of  their  minds,  of  which  they  them¬ 
selves  know  very  little,  they  are  like  those  called  Machiavelists, 
who  make  no  account  of  murders,  adulteries,  thefts,  and  false 
testimony,  considered  in  themselves  :  and  if  they  reason  against 
them,  do  it  only  from  motives  of  prudence,  that  they  may  not 
appear  to  be  what  they  really  are.  Of  the  life  of  a  man  in  this 
world,  they  think  that  it  is  only  like  the  life  of  a  beast ;  and  of 
230 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


310 


the  life  of  a  man  after  death,  that  it  is  like  a  vital  vapour,  which 
rising  from  the  corpse  or  grave,  relapses  again,  and  so  dies. 
From  this  madness  came  the  idea  that  spirits  and  angels  are  air, 
and  among  those  who  are  enjoined  to  believe  in  life  everlasting, 
that  the  souls  of  men  are  the  same ;  that  therefore  they  neither 
see,  hear,  nor  speak,  consequently  are  blind,  deaf,  and  dumb, 
and  that  they  only  think  in  their  particle  of  air ;  for  they  say, 
Howt  can  the  soul  be  any  thing  else?  Did  not  the  external 
senses  die  with  the  body  ?  and  how  can  they  receive  them  again 
before  the  soul  is  reunited  to  the  body  ?  And  because  they  cojld 
have  only  a  sensual  and  not  a  spiritual  idea  of  the  state  of  the 
soul  after  death,  they  established  this,  otherwise  the  belief  ot 
an  everlasting  life  would  have  perished.  More  especially  they 
confirm  in  themselves  self-love,  calling  it  the  fire  of  life,  and  an 
incitement  to  various  uses  in  society ;  and  being  of  this  descrip¬ 
tion,  they  are  the  idols  of  themselves  ;  and  their  thoughts,  being 
fallacies  from  fallacies,  are  images  of  falsity.  As  they  favour 
the  delights  of  concupiscences,  they  are  satans  and  devils  ;  those 
being  called  satans  who  confirm  in  themselves  the  concupis¬ 
cences  of  evil,  and  those  devils  who  live  according  to  them. 
The  nature  of  the  most  cunning  sort  of  sensual  men  has  also 
been  made  known  to  me :  they  have  a  deep  hell  behind,  and 
wish  to  be  invisible  ;  therefore  they  appear  hovering  about  there 
as  it  were  spectres,  which  are  their  fantasies,  and  are  called 
genii.  Some  of  them  wrere  once  sent  from  that  hell,  that  I 
might  know  their  quality :  they  immediately  applied  themselves 
to  the  back  part  of  my  neck  under  the  occiput,  and  thence  en¬ 
tered  into  my  affections,  not  choosing  to  enter  into  my  thoughts, 
which  they  dexterously  avoided  ;  they  then  varied  my  affections 
one  after  another,  with  a  design  of  bending  them  insensibly 
into  their  opposites,  which  are  concupiscences  of  evil ;  and  as 
they  did  not  in  the  least  meddle  with  my  thoughts,  they  would 
have  inflected  and  inverted  my  affections,  without  my  knowfledge, 
if  the  Lord  had  not  prevented.  Those  persons  become  of  such 
a  quality  who  in  the  world  do  not  believe  there  is  a  Divine  Pro¬ 
vidence,  and  search  for  nothing  in  others  but  their  cupidities 
and  desires,  so  leading  them  till  they  acquire  a  perfect  ascen¬ 
dency  over  them ;  and  as  they  do  this  so  clandestinely  and 
cunningly  that  the  others  do  not  know  it,  and  after  death 
become  like  themselves,  therefore  immediately  after  their  arrival 
in  the  spiritual  world,  they  are  cast  into  that  hell.  When  seen 
in  the  light  of  heaven  they  appear  without  any  nose  ;  and,  wdiat 
is  wonderful,  although  they  are  so  cunning,  yet  they  are  more 
sensual  than  others.  As  the  ancients  called  the  sensual  man  a 
serpent,  and  such  a  man  is  a  more  cunning,  crafty,  and  inge¬ 
nious  reasoner  than  others,  therefore  it  is  said  that  u  the  serpent 
was  more  subtile  than  any  beast  of  the  field”  (Gen.  iii.  1) ;  and 
the  Lord  savs,  “  Pe  ye  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as  doves” 
231 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


310,  311 

(Matt.  x.  16).  Moreover  the  dragon,  which  is  also  called  the 
•  old  serpent,  the  devil,  and  satan,  is  described  as  u  having  seven 
heads  and  ten  horns,  and  seven  crowns  upon  his  heads”  (Eev. 
xii.  3,  9).  By  seven  heads  is  signified  craftiness,  by  ten  horns 
the  power  of  persuading  by  fallacies,  and  by  seven  crowns  the 
holy  things  of  the  Word  and  of  the  church  profaned. 

311.  From  this  description  of  self-derived  prudence,  and  ot 
those  who  are  in  it,  may  be  seen  what  is  the  nature  of  that 
prudence  which  is  not  self-derived,  and  of  the  persons  who  are 
in  it,  namely,  that  prudence  which  is  not  self-derived  is  such 
as  is  in  those  who  do  not  confirm  in  themselves  the  idea  that 
intelligence  and  wisdom  are  from  any  man,  but  say,  How  can 
a  man  have  wisdom  from  himself  and  do  good  from  himself? 
And  when  they  say  this,  they  see  the  matter  accordingly,  for 
they  think  interiorly,  and  also  believe  that  others  think  in  the 
same  manner,  especially  the  learned,  because  they  do  not  know 
that  any  one  can  think  only  exteriorly.  They  are  not  in  falla¬ 
cies  by  means  of  any  confirmations  of  appearances ;  therefore 
they  know  and  perceive  that  murders,  adulteries,  thefts,  and 
false  testimony  are  sins,  and  for  that  reason  shun  them ;  also 
that  malice  is  not  wisdom,  and  that  craftiness  is  not  intelli¬ 
gence  ;  and  when  they  hear  ingenious  reasonings  founded  in 
fallacies,  they  wonder  and  smile  to  themselves.  The  reason 
hereof  is,  because  in  them  there  is  no  veil  between  the  interiors 
and  the  exteriors,  or  between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural 
things  of  the  mind,  as  there  is  in  the  sensual ;  therefore  they 
receive  influx  from  heaven,-  by  which  they  see  such  things  inte¬ 
riorly.  They  speak  with  more  simplicity  and  sincerity  than 
others,  and  place  wisdom  not  in  speaking  well,  but  in  living 
well.  They  are  comparatively  like  lambs  and  sheep,  wTdle  those 
who  are  in  self-derived  prudence  are  like  wolves  and  foxes  :  they 
are  like  those  who  dwell  in  a  house,  and  through  its  windows 
see  the  heavens ;  but  those  who  are  in  self-derived  prudence 
are  like  those  who  dwell  in  a  cellar,  and  through  their  windows 
see  nothing  but  what  is  under  ground :  and  they  are  like  those 
who  stand  upon  a  mountain,  and  see  such  as  are  in  self-derived 
prudence  Meandering  below  in  valleys  and  woods.  Hence  it  may 
appear  that  prudence  which  is  not  self-derived,  is  prudence 
from  the  Lord,  similar  to  self-derived  prudence  as  to  its  appear¬ 
ance  in  externals,  but  totally  different  in  internals.  In  inter¬ 
nals,  prudence  wdiich  is  not  self-derived  appears  in  the  spiritual 
world  as  a  man,  but  self-derived  prudence  as  an  image,  appear¬ 
ing  to  have  life  from  this  circumstance  only,  that  those  who 
are  in  it  have  still  rationality  and  liberty,  or  a  faculty  of  under¬ 
standing  and  M7illing,  and  thence  of  speaking  and  acting ;  and 
that  by  means  of  these  faculties  they  can  also  bear  the  semblance 
of  men.  The  reason  MThy  they  are  such  images,  is,  because 
svils  and  falses  are  not  alive,  but  only  goods  and  truths ;  and 
232 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


311,  312 

ns  they  know  this  by  means  of  their  rationality  (for  if  they  did 
not  know  it,  they  would  not  put  on  such  appearance),  therefore 
in  their  semblances  of  men  they  possess  human  vitality.  AVffo 
does  not  know  that  the  quality  of  a  man  is  determined  by 
what  he  is  interiorly  ;  consequently,  that  he  is  a  real  man  who 
is  interiorly  such  as  he  wishes  to  seem  exteriorly,  and  that  he 
is  a  semblance  or  counterfeit,  who  is  only  a  man  exteriorly  and 
not  interiorly.  Think  as  you  speak  in  favour  of  God,  of  religion, 
and  of  justice  and  sincerity,  and  you  will  be  a  man;  then  the 
Divine  Providence  will  be  your  prudence,  and  you  will  perceive 
in  others  that  self-derived  prudence  is  insanity. 

312.  II.  That  a  man  from  self -derived  prudence  persuades 
himself ,  and  confirms  in  himself  the  idea ,  that  every  good  and 
truth  is  in  and  from  himself  ’  and  in  like  manner  every  evil  and 
falsity.  Institute  an  argumentation  or  course  of  reasoning  from 
analogy  between  natural  good  and  truth  and  spiritual  good,  and 
truth.  Inquire  what  is  true  and  good  in  the  sight  of  the  eye : 
is  not  that  true  therein  which  is  called  beautiful,  and  that  good 
therein  which  is  called  delightful  ?  for  delight  is  felt  in  seeing 
beautiful  objects.  Inquire  what  is  true  and  good  in  the  sense 
of  hearing1 :  is  not  that  true  therein  which  is  called  harmonious, 
and  that  good  therein  which  is  called  sweet  and  pleasant  %  foi 
sweetness  or  pleasure  is  felt  in  hearing  harmonious  sounds.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  other  senses.  Hence  it  is  evident  what 
are  natural  truth  and  good.  Consider  now  what  are  spiritual 
truth  and  good.  Is  spiritual  truth  any  thing  but  the  beauty  and 
harmony  of  spiritual  things  and  objects  ?  And  is  spiritual 
good  any  thing  else  but  the  delight  and  pleasure  arising  from  a 
perception  of  their  beauty  or  harmony  ?  Let  us  now  see  whether 
any  thing  can  be  asserted  of  the  one  which  is  not  applicable 
to  the  other,  or  of  what  is  natural  and  not  of  what  is  spiritual. 
Of  that  which  is  natural  it  is  said,  that  what  is  beautiful  and 
delightful  to  the  eye  flows  from  external  objects,  and  what  is 
harmonious  and  sweet  to  the  ear  flows  from  instruments :  in 
what  respect  is  it  different  with  the  organic  substances  of  the 
mind  ?  It  is  said  of  the  latter,  that  those  things  (viz.  beauty 
and  delight)  are  in  them,  and  of  the  former,  that  they  flow 
into  them,  or  impress  them;  but  if  it  be  asked,  why  it  is  said 
that  they  flow  in,  or  enter  by  influx,  no  other  answer  can  be 
given  than  that  there  appears  to  be  a  distance  between  the 
organ  of  sense  and  that  which  impresses  or  flows  into  it.  If  it 
be  asked  why,  in  the  other  case,  it  is  said  of  spiritual  objects 
that  they  are  in  the  mind  and  its  organized  substances,  no 
other  answer  can  be  given  than  that  there  does  not  appear  to 
be  any  distance  between  them.  Consequently,  it  is  the  ap¬ 
pearance  of  distance  which  causes  a  different  notion  to  exist 
respecting  the  things  which  a  man  thinks  and  perceives,  and 
those  which  he  sees  and  hears.  This  falls  to  the  ground,  how- 


312,  313 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


ever,  when  it  is  known  that  the  spiritual  principle  does  not 
exist  in  distance  as  the  natural  does.  Think  of  the  sun  and 
moon,  or  of  Rome  and  Constantinople  :  do  they  not  exist  in 
thought  without  distance,  provided  such  thought  be  not  con¬ 
nected  with  experience  acquired  by  sight  or  by  hearing  ?  Why 
then  do  you  persuade  yourself,  because  distance  does  not  ap¬ 
pear  in  thought,  that  good  and  truth,  also  evil  and  falsity, 
exist  there,  and  do  not  enter  by  influx  ?  To  this  I  will  add  a 
fact  known  by  experience,  and  which  is  common  in  the  spiritual 
world.  One  spirit  can  infuse  his  thoughts  and  affections  into 
another  spirit,  without  the  other's  knowing  but  that  the  same 
is  of  his  own  thought  and  affection  ;  this  is  called  in  that  world 
thinking  from  and  in  another.  I  have  seen  it  a  thousand  times, 
and  have  also  done  it  a  hundred  times  myself ;  }Tet  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  distance  was  considerable ;  but  as  soon  as  they  knew 
that  it  was  another  who  infused  those  thoughts  and  affections, 
they  were  angry,  and  turned  themselves  away,  acknowledging 
nevertheless  that  distance,  unless  it  be  discovered,  does  not 
appear,  in  the  internal  sight  or  thought,  as  it  does  in  the  ex¬ 
ternal  sight  or  eye,  and  that  hence  it  is  thought  to  enter  into 
the  latter  by  influx.  To  this  fact  I  can  add  my  own  daily  expe¬ 
rience  :  evil  spirits  having  often  injected  evils  and  falsities  into 
my  thoughts,  which  appeared  to  me  as  if  they  were  in  myself, 
and  from  myself,  or  as  if  I  thought  them  myself ;  but  as  1 
knew  that  they  were  evils  and  falses,  I  endeavoured  to  find  out 
who  injected  them,  when  they  were  detected  and  driven  away, 
and  were  at  a  considerable  distance  from  me.  Hence  it  may 
appear  that  all  evil  with  its  falsity  flows  from  hell,  that  all  good 
with  its  truth  flows  from  the  Lord,  and  that  they  both  appear 
as  if  they  were  in  man. 

313.  The  nature  and  quality  of  those  who  are  in  self-derived 
prudence,  and  of  those  who  are  in  prudence  not  self-derived, 
and  thence  in  the  Divine  Providence,  is  described  in  the  Word  by 
Adam  and  his  wife  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  where  there  were 
two  trees,  the  tree  of  life  and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil ;  and  by  their  eating  of  the  latter.  That  by  Adam  and 
his  wife  Eve,  in  the  internal  or  spiritual  sense,  is  meant  and 
described  the  Lord’s  most  ancient  church  upon  this  earth,  which 
was  more  noble  and  celestial  than  any  that  succeeded  it,  may 
be  seen  above,  n.  241.  By  the  rest  is  signified  as  follows :  by 
the  garden  of  Eden,  the  wisdom  of  the  men  of  that  church ;  by 
the  tree  of  life,  the  Lord  with  respect  to  his  Divine  Providence ; 
and  by  the  tree  of  knowledge,  man  with  respect  to  his  self- 
derived  prudence ;  by  the  serpent,  the  sensuality  and  proprium 
of  man,  which  in  itself  is  self-love,  and  the  pride  of  his  own 
intelligence,  consequently  the  devil  and  satan  ;  and  by  eat¬ 
ing  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  the  appropriation  of  good  and 
truth,  as  if  they  were  not  from  the  Lord  and  consequently  oi 
234 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


313,  314 


the  Lord,  but  from  man  himself  and  consequently  of  man.  that 
is,  his  own  :  and  as  good  and  truth  are  things  really  divine  in 
man,  fir  by  good  is  meant  the  whole  of  love,  and  by  truth  the 
whole  of  wisdom,  therefore  if  a  man  claims  them  to  himself  as 
his  own,  he  cannot  but  think  himself  like  a  god.  On  this  account 
the  serpent  said,  “  In  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes 
shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and 
evil  ”  (Gen.  iii.  5).  So  also  do  those  think  in  hell  who  are  in 
self-love,  and  thence  in  the  pride  of  self-derived  intelligence. 
By  the  condemnation  of  the  serpent  is  signified  the  condemnation 
of  man’s  own  proper  love  and  proper  intelligence ;  by  the  con¬ 
demnation  of  Eve,  that  of  the  voluntary  proprium  ;  and  by  the 
condemnation  of  Adam,  that  of  the  intellectual  proprium  ;  by 
thorns  and  thistles,  which  the  earth  shall  bring  forth,  is  signified 
mere  falsity  and  evil ;  by  their  being  driven  out  of  the  garden 
is  signified  the  deprivation  of  wisdom ;  by  the  guarding  of  the 
way  to  the  tree  of  life,  the  Lord’s  provident  care  to  protect  from 
violation  the  holy  things  of  the  Word  and  of  the  church  ;  by 
the  fig-leaves  with  which  they  covered  their  nakedness,  moral 
truths,  under  which  were  concealed  the  things  appertaining  to 
their  love  and  pride  ;  and  by  the  coats  of  skins,  with  which 
they  were  afterwards  clothed,  are  signified  appearances  of  truth, 
in  which  alone  they  were  principled.  This  is  the  spiritual 
meaning  of  those  things.  lie  that  chooses  may  remain  in  the 
literal  sense,  only  he  should  know  that  it  is  so  understood  in 
heaven. 

314.  What  sort  of  persons  they  are  wTho  are  infatuated  by 
self-derived  intelligence  may  appear  from  their  imaginations 
in  matters  of  interior  judgment ;  as,  for  example,  concerning 
influx,  thought,  and  life.  Concerning  Influx,  they  think  in¬ 
versely  ;  as  that  the  sight  of  the  eye  flows  into  the  internal  sight 
of  the  mind,  which  is  the  understanding,  and  that  the  hearing 
of  the  ear  flows  into  the  internal  hearing,  which  is  also  the 
understanding;  and  they  do  not  perceive  that  the  understanding 
from  the  will  flowTs  into  the  eve  and  the  ear,  and  not  only  con- 
stitutes  those  senses,  but  also  uses  them  as  its  instruments  in 
the  natural  world.  Because  this  is  not  according  to  appearance, 
they  do  not  perceive  it :  and  if  it  be  affirmed  that  what  is  natural 
does  not  flow  into  what  is  spiritual,  but  what  is  spiritual  into 
what  is  natural,  still  they  think,  What  is  that  which  is  spiritual 
but  something  more  purely  natural  ?  Moreover,  does  it  not 
appear,  that  when  the  eye  sees  any  beautiful  object,  or  the  ear 
hears  any  harmonious  sound,  the  mind,  which  is  the  under¬ 
standing  and  will,  is  delighted,  not  knowing  that  the  eye  does 
not  see  from  itself,  or  the  tongue  taste  from  itself,  or  the  nose 
smell  from  itself,  or  the  skin  feel  from  itself,  but  that  it  is  the 
man’s  mind  or  spirit  which  there  perceives  such  things  by  the 
sense,  and  thence  is  affected  according  to  the  quality  of  the 
235 


314—317 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


sense  ?  But  still  the  man’s  mind  or  spirit  does  not  feel  them 
from  itself,  but  from  the  Lord  ;  and  to  think  otherwise  is  to 
think  from  appearances,  and,  if  it  be  confirmed,  from  fallacies. 
Concerning  Thought,  they  say,  that  it  is  something  modified 
in  the  air,  varied  according  to  its  objects,  and  enlarged  in 
proportion  as  it  is  cultivated  ;  therefore,  that  ideas  of  thought 
are  images,  like  meteors  appearing  in  the  air;  and  that  the 
memory  is  a  table  upon  which  they  are  impressed  ;  not  knowing 
that  thoughts  exist  alike  in  substances  purely  organic,  as  the 
sight  and  hearing  do  in  theirs.  Let  them  only  look  into  the 
brain,  and  they  will  see  that  it  is  full  of  such  substances.  If  you 
injure  them  you  bring  on  a  delirium  :  destroy  them,  and  you  die. 
But  what  thought  is,  and  also  what  memory  is,  may  be  seen 
above,  n.  279,  towards  the  end.  Concerning  Life,  they  know 
no  other  than  that  it  is  a  certain  activity  of  nature,  which  causes 
itself  to  be  felt  diversely,  as  the  living  body  moves  itself  organi¬ 
cally.  If  it  be  alleged,  that  in  this  case  nature  lives,  this  they 
deny,  but  maintain  that  nature  gives  life.  If  you  say,  Is  not 
life  dissipated  when  the  body  dies  ?  they  answer,  that  life  remains 
in  a  particle  of  air  which  is  called  the  soul.  If  you  say,  TYliat 
then  is  God  ?  is  not  He  life  itself  ?  here  they  are  silent,  and 
will  not  declare  what  they  think  :  and  if  you  say,  Will  you  not 
acknowledge  that  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  are 
life  itself?  they  answer,  What  is  love,  and  what  is  wisdom  ? 
For  in  their  fallacies  they  do  not  see  what  love  and  wisdom  are, 
or  what  God  is.  These  observations  are  adduced,  that  it  may 
be  seen  how  a  man  is  infatuated  by  self-derived  prudence, 
because  he  draws  all  his  conclusions  from  appearances,  and 
thence  from  fallacies. 

316.  The  reason  why  self-derived  prudence  persuades  and 
confirms  the  idea  that  every  good  and  truth  is  from  man  and  in 
man,  is,  because  self-derived  prudence  is  the  man’s  intellectual 
proprium,  flowing  from  self-love,  which  is  the  man’s  voluntary 
proprium,  and  that  which  is  his  proprium  cannot  do  otherwise 
than  make  all  things  his  own  ;  for  it  cannot  be  elevated  by  him. 
All  wTho  are  led  by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  are 
elevated  above  their  proprium,  and  then  they  see  that  all  good 
and  truth  are  from  the  Lord :  they  even  see,  also,  that  what  is 
from  the  Lord  in  a  man  is  perpetually  of  the  Lord,  and  never 
of  the  man.  He  that  thinks  otherwise  is  like  one  who,  having 
goods  of  his  master  deposited  in  his  hands,  laj7s  claim  to  them 
or  appropriates  them  to  himself  as  his  own,  and  who  is  there¬ 
fore  not  a  steward,  but  a  thief;  and  as  a  man’s  proprium  is 
nothing  but  evil,  therefore  he  also  immerses  them  into  his  evil, 
by  which  they  are  consumed,  like  pearls  cast  into  dung,  or 
dissolved  in  acids. 

317.  III.  That  every  thing ,  of  which  a  man  is  persuaded 
and  in  which  he  is  confirmed ,  remains  as  his  proprium.  It  is 

236 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


317,  318 


thought  by  many  that  no  truth  can  be  seen  by  a  man  except 
from  things  confirmed ;  but  this  is  false.  In  things  which  re- 
late  to  the  civil  government  and  economy  of  a  kingdom  or  state, 
what  is  useful  and  good  cannot  be  seen  unless  several  of  the 
statutes  and  ordinances  therein  be  known  ;  or  in  matters  of  a 
judicial  nature,  unless  laws  be  known  ;  or  in  natural  things,  as 
physics,  chemistry,  anatomy,  mechanics,  and  the  like,  unless 
a  man  be  instructed  in  sciences  ;  but  in  things  purely  of  a 
rational,  moral,  and  spiritual  nature,  truths  appear  merely  from 
their  own  light,  provided  a  man,  by  means  of  a  good  education, 
be  made  in  some  degree  rational,  moral,  and  spiritual.  The 
reason  is  because  every  man,  with  respect  to  his  spirit,  which 
is  that  which  thinks,  is  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  one  among 
those  who  live  there,  consequently  he  is  in  spiritual  light,  which 
illuminates  the  interiors  of  his  understanding,  and,  as  it  were, 
dictates  ;  for  spiritual  light  in  its  essence  is  the  divine  truth  of 
the  Lord’s  divine  wisdom.  Hence  a  man  has  power  to  think 
analytically,  to  form  conclusions  concerning  what  is  just  and 
right  in  judgments,  to  see  honesty  in  moral  life,  and  good  in 
spiritual  life,  and  likewise  many  truths  which  do  not  fall  into 
darkness  except  by  the  confirmation  of  falsities  :  these  things 
a  man  sees,  in  the  same  manner  as  he  sees  the  mind  of  another 
in  his  face,  and  perceives  his  affections  from  the  sound  of  his 
voice,  without  any  other  knowledge  than  what  is  inherent  in 
every  one.  Why  should  not  a  man  see  by  influx,  in  a  certain 
degree,  the  interiors  of  his  life,  which  are  spiritual  and  moral, 
when  there  is  no  animal  which  does  not  by  influx  know  the 
things  necessary  for  it  which  are  natural  ?  Birds  know  how 
to  make  their  nests,  lay  their  eggs,  hatch  their  young,  and 
choose  their  food  ;  besides  other  wonderful  things,  which  are 
called  instinct. 

318.  But  how  a  man’s  state  is  changed  by  confirmations 
and  consequent  persuasions  shall  now  be  shown  in  the  following 
order.  1.  That  there  is  nothing  but  what  may  be  confirmed, 
and  falsity  more  easily  than  truth.  2.  That  when  the  falsity  is 
confirmed,  truth  does  not  appear ;  but  that  from  confirmed 
truth  the  falsity  appears.  3.  That  to  be  able  to  confirm  what¬ 
ever  a  man  pleases  is  not  intelligence,  but  only  ingenuity,  which 
may  exist  even  in  the  most  wicked.  4.  That  there  may  be 
intellectual  confirmation,  and  not  at  the  same  time  voluntary ; 
but  that  all  voluntary  confirmation  is  also  intellectual.  5.  That 
the  voluntary  and  at  the  same  time  the  intellectual  confirmation 
of  evil,  causes  a  man  to  think  that  self-derived  prudence  is  all, 
and  the  Divine  Providence  nothino; ;  but  not  the  intellectual 
confirmation  of  it  alone.  6.  That  every  thins:  confirmed  by  the 
will,  and  at  the  same  time  by  the  understanding,  remains  to 
eternity  ;  but  not  that  which  is  confirmed  by  the  understanding 
only.  With  respect  to  the  First,  That  there  is  nothing  hut  what 
237 


318 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


may  be  confirmed ,  and  falsity  more  easily  than  truth.  What  may 
not  be  confirmed,  when  it  is  confirmed  by  Atheists  that  God 
is  not  the  creator  of  the  universe,  bnt  that  nature  is  the  creator 
of  herself ;  that  religion  is  only  an  external  means  of  restraint, 
and  calculated  for  the  simple  and  the  vulgar ;  that  a  man  is 
similar  to  a  beast,  and  that  lie  dies  in  like  manner  ?  What  may 
not  be  confirmed,  when  it  is  confirmed  that  adulteries  are  allow¬ 
able,  also  clandestine  thefts,  frauds,  and  deceitful  arts  ;  that 
cunning  is  intelligence,  and  malice  wisdom  ?  Who  does  not 
confirm  his  own  heresy  ?  Are  there  not  volumes  full  of  con¬ 
firmations  in  favour  of  the  two  reigning  heresies  in  the  Christian 
world  ?  If  you  establish  ten  heresies  of  even  an  abstruse  nature, 
and  tell  an  ingenious  person  to  confirm  them,  he  will  confirm 
them  all.  If  you  afterwards  view  them  only  from  their  con¬ 
firmations,  will  you  not  see  falsities  as  if  they  were  truths  ?  As 
every  false  principle  has  a  lucid  appearance  in  the  natural  man, 
arising  from  his  appearances  and  fallacies,  which  is  not  the  case 
with  truth  except  in  the  spiritual  man,  it  is  evident  that  falsity 
can  be  confirmed  more  easily  than  truth.  In  order  that  it  may 
be  known  that  every  falsity  and  every  evil  can  be  confirmed,  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  falsity  may  appear  true  and  the  evil 
good,  take  the  following  example  :  let  it  be  confirmed  that  light 
is  darkness  and  darkness  light.  May  it  not  be  said,  What  is 
light  in  itself?  Is  it  any  thing  but  a  certain  appearance  in  the 
eye  according  to  its  state?  What  is  light  when  the  eye  is  shut? 
Have  not  bats  and  owls  such  eyes  that  they  see  light  as  dark¬ 
ness,  and  darkness  as  light  ?  I  have  heard  some  persons  say 
that  they  can  see  in  the  same  manner,  and  of  the  infernals  I 
have  heard  that  although  they  are  in  darkness  they  see  one 
another.  Do  not  men  see  light  at  midnight  in  their  dreams  ? 
Is  not  darkness  therefore  light,  and  light  darkness  ?  But  it 
may  be  answered,  What  is  this  to  the  purpose  ?  Light  is  light, 
as  truth  is  truth  ;  and  darkness  is  darkness,  as  falsity  is  falsity. 
Take  another  example  :  and  let  it  be  confirmed  that  a  raven  is 
white.  May  it  not  be  said,  that  his  blackness  is  only  a  shade 
which  is  not  his  real  colour  ?  His  feathers  are  inwardly  white, 
and  so  is  his  body  ;  and  these  are  the  substances  of  which  he 
consists.  Since  his  blackness  is  only  a  shade,  therefore  a  raven 
turns  white  when  he  grows  old,  and  some  such  have  been  seen. 
What  is  black  in  itself  but  white  ?  Grind  black  glass,  and  you 
will  see  that  the  powder  is  white.  Therefore,  when  you  call  a 
raven  black,  you  speak  from  the  shade  and  not  from  the  reality. 
But  it  may  be  answered,  What  is  this  to  the  purpose  ?  At  this 
rate  it  might  be  said  that  all  birds  are  white.  These  cases, 
although  they  are  contrary  to  sound  reason,  are  adduced,  to 
the  end  it  may  be  seen,  that  falsity  diametrically  opposite  to 
truth,  and  evil  diametrically  opposite  to  good,  may  be  confirmed. 
Secondly,  That  when  falsity  is  confirmed ,  truth  does  not  appear  • 
23S 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


318 


but  that  from  confirmed  truth,  falsity  appears.  All  falsity  is  in 
the  dark,  and  all  truth  in  the  light ;  and  in  the  dark  nothing 
appears,  nor  can  it  even  be  known  what  it  is,  but  by  feeling  it. 
Xot  so  in  the  light.  Therefore,  also,  in  the  Word,  falsities  are 
called  darkness,  and  thence  those  who  are  in  falsities  are  said 
to  walk  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death.  On  the  other 
hand,  truths  are  there  called  light,  and  thence  those  who  arc  in 
truths  are  said  to  walk  in  the  light,  and  are  called  the  children 
of  light.  That  when  the  falsity  is  confirmed  truth  does  not 
appear,  and  that  from  confirmed  truth  falsity  does  appear,  is 
evident  from  many  considerations.  For  example:  who  would 
see  any  spiritual  truth,  if  the  Word  did  not  teach  it  ?  Would 
not  there  prevail  thick  darkness,  which  could  not  be  dispelled 
but  by  the  light  in  which  the  Word  is,  and  with  such  as 
should  desire  to  be  enlightened  ?  What  heretic  can  see  his 
own  falsities  except  he  admit  the  genuine  truth  of  the  church  ? 
He  does  not  see  them  before.  I  have  discoursed  with  those 
who  have  confirmed  themselves  in  faith  separated  from  charity, 
and  asked  them  whether  they  did  not  see  so  many  things  in  the 
Word  about  love  and  charity,  about  works  and  actions,  and 
about  keeping  the  commandments,  with  the  declarations  that 
he  is  happy  and  wise  who  does  them,  and  he  is  foolish  who 
does  them  not.  They  said,  that  when  thev  read  those  things 
they  saw  no  otherwise  than  that  they  are  faith,  and  so  passed 
them  over  as  it  were  with  their  eyes  shut.  Those  who  have 
confirmed  themselves  in  falsities  are  like  those  who  see  images 
pictured  on  a  wall,  and  when  in  the  shade  of  evening  those  pic¬ 
tures  seem  to  them  in  their  fantasy  like  a  horse  or  a  man,  which 

v  y 

visionary  image  is  dispelled  by  the  influent  light  of  day.  Who 
can  perceive  the  spiritual  defilement  of  adultery,  unless  he  is  in 
the  spiritual  purity  of  chastity  ?  Who  can  feel  the  cruelty  of 
revenge,  but  he  that  is  in  good  arising  from  the  love  of  his 
neighbour.  What  adulterer,  or  revengeful  person,  does  not 
sneer  at  those  who  call  their  delights  infernal,  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  delights  of  conjugial  and  neighbourly  love  celestial, 
and  so  on?  Thirdly,  That  to  be  able  to  confirm  ichatever  a 
man  pleases  is  not  intelligence ,  but  only  ingenuity ,  which  may 
exist  even  in  the  most  'wicked.  There  are  some  very  dextrous 
confirmers,  who  know  no  truth,  and  yet  can  confirm  both  truth 
and  falsity.  Some  of  them  say,  What  is  truth?  Is  there  any 
such  thing  existing?  Is  not  that  truth  which  I  make  true? 
nevertheless,  these  are  thought  intelligent  in  the  world,  but  they 
are  only  plasterers  of  the  wall.  Hone  are  intelligent  but  those 
who  perceive  truth  to  be  truth,  and  confirm  the  same  by  truths 
continually  perceived.  These  two  kinds  of  men  are  not  easily 
distinguished,  because  it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  between  the 
light  of  confirmation  and  the  light  of  the  perception  of  truth ; 
nor  does  it  appear  otherwise  than  that  those  who  are  in  the  light 
239 


31 S,  319 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


of  confirmation  are  also  in  the  light  of  the  perception  of  truth  ; 
when,  nevertheless,  the  difference  is  as  great  as  between  tho 
light  of  infatuation  and  genuine  light;  and  the  light  of  infatua¬ 
tion  in  the  spiritual  world  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  it  is  turned 
into  darkness  when  genuine  light  flows  in.  Such  infatuating 
light  have  many  in  hell,  who,  when  they  are  admitted  into  gen¬ 
uine  light,  see  nothing  at  all.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  to  be 
able  to  confirm  whatever  a  man  pleases,  is  only  ingenuity,  at¬ 
tainable  even  by  the  most  wicked.  Fourthly,  That  there  may 
be  intellectual  confirmation ,  and  not  at  the  same  time  voluntary / 
but  that  cdl  voluntary  confirmation  is  also  intellectual.  Take 
these  examples  by  way  of  illustration.  Those  who  confirm  faith 
separate  from  charity,  and  yet  live  the  life  of  charity,  and  in 
general  those  who  confirm  the  falsity  of  doctrine,  and  yet  do  not 
live  according  to  it,  are  those  who  are  in  intellectual  confirma¬ 
tion,  and  not  at  the  same  time  in  voluntary  confirmation ;  but 
those  who  confirm  the  falsity  of  doctrine,  and  live  according  to 
it,  are  those  who  are  in  voluntary  and  at  the  same  time  in 
intellectual  confirmation.  The  reason  hereof  is,  because  the 
understanding  does  not  flow  into  the  will,  but  the  will  into  the 
understanding.  Hence,  also,  it  is  evident  what  the  falsity  of 
evil  is,  and  what  the  falsity  which  is  not  of  evil.  The  reason 
why  the  falsity  which  is  not  of  evil  can  be  conjoined  with  good, 
but  not  the  falsity  of  evil,  is,  because  the  former  is  the  falsity 
in  the  understanding  and  not  in  the  will,  while  the  latter  is  the 
falsity  in  the  understanding  from  evil  in  the  will.  Fifthly, 
That  the  voluntary  and  at  the  same  time  the  intellectual  confir¬ 
mation  of  evil,  causes  a  man  to  think  that  self -derived  jyrudence 
is  all ,  and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing  •  but  not  the  intellec¬ 
tual  confirmation  of  it  alone.  There  are  many  who  confirm  the 
efficacy  of  self-derived  prudence  in  themselves  from  appearances 
in  the  world,  but  yet  do  not  deny  the  Divine  Providence,  and 
theirs  is  only  intellectual  confirmation;  while  with  such  as 
denv  at  the  same  time  the  Divine  Providence,  the  confirmation 
is  also  voluntary ;  but  the  latter,  together  with  persuasion, 
takes  place  principally  in  those  who  are  worshipers  of  nature, 
and  at  the  same  time  worshipers  of  themselves.  Sixthly, 
That  every  thing  confirmed  by  the  will ,  and  at  the  same  time  by 
the  understanding ,  remains  to  eternity ;  but  not  that  which  is 
confirmed  by  the  understanding  only  /  for  that  which  is  of  the 
understanding  only,  is  not  within  the  man,  but  without  him, 
since  it  is  only  in  his  thought ;  and  nothing  enters  into  a  man, 
and  is  appropriated  to  him,  but  what  is  received  by  the  will ;  for 
this  becomes  of  his  life’s  love.  That  this  abides  to  eternity, 
shall  be  shown  in  the  next  number. 

319.  The  reason  why  every  thing  confirmed  in  the  will,  and 
at  the  same  time  by  the  understanding,  remains  to  eternity,  is, 
because  every  one  is  his  own  love,  and  his  love  is  of  his  will 
240 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


319 


also,  because  every  man  is  his  own  good  or  liis  own  evil ;  for  all 
that  is  called  good  which  is  of  the  love,  and  that  evil  which  is 
opposed  to  it.  As  a  man  is  his  own  love,  he  is  also  the  form  of 
his  own  love,  and  may  be  called  the  organ  of  his  life’s  love. 
It  was  said  above,  n.  279,  that  the  affections  of  a  man’s  love 
and  the  thoughts  thence  derived,  are  changes  and  variations  of 
the  state  and  form  of  the  organic  substances  of  his  mind,  and 
it  shall  now  be  shown  what  is  the  nature  and  quality  of  those 
changes.  An  idea  of  them  may  be  had  from  the  heart  and 
lungs,  because  there  are  alternate  expansions  and  compressions, 
or  dilatations  and  contractions,  which  in  the  heart  are  called  its 
systole  and  diastole ;  and  in  the  lungs  respirations,  which  are 


reciprocal  extensions  and  retractions,  or  distensions  and  coarcta¬ 
tions  of  its  lobes :  these  are  the  changes  and  variations  of  the 
state  of  the  heart  and  lungs.  The  like  takes  place  in  the  other 
viscera  of  the  body,  and  in  the  parts  thereof,  by  which  the 
blood  and  animal  juices  are  received  and  circulated.  There  are 
also  similar  changes  and  variations  of  state  in  the  organic  forms 
of  the  mind,  which,  as  was  shown  above,  are  the  subjects  of  a 
man’s  affections  and  thoughts ;  with  this  difference,  that  the 
expansions  and  compressions,  or  reciprocations,  of  the  latter, 
are  respectively  in  so  much  greater  perfection,  that  they  cannot 
be  expressed  in  words  of  natural  language,  but  only  in  words 
of  spiritual  language,  which  can  only  import,  that  they  are 
vortical  ingyrations  and  egyrations,  after  the  manner  of  per¬ 
petual  spiral  circumflexions,  wonderfully  confasciculated  into 
forms  receptive  of  life.  But  the  nature  of  these  purely  organic 
substances  and  forms  in  the  wicked  and  m  the  good  shall  now 
be  explained.  With  the  good  they  are  spirally  convoluted  for¬ 
wards,  but  with  the  wicked  backwards ;  and  those  which  are 
spirally  convoluted  forwards  are  turned  to  the  Lord,  and  receive 
influx  from  him ;  but  those  which  are  spirally  convoluted  back¬ 
wards  are  turned  towards  hell,  and  receive  influx  from  thence. 
It  is  to  be  observed,  that  in  proportion  as  they  are  turned  back¬ 
wards,  they  are  open  behind,  and  closed  before ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  in  proportion  as  they  are  turned  forwards,  they  are 
open  before  and  closed  behind.  Hence  it  may  appear  what 
kind  of  form  or  what  kind  of  organ  a  wicked  man  is,  and  what 
kind  of  form  or  what  kind  of  organ  a  good  man  is,  and  that 
they  are  turned  contrariwise ;  and  as  an  inversion  once  induced 
cannot  be  retwisted,  it  is  evident  that  such  as  it  is  when  a  man 
dies  it  remains  to  eternity.  It  is  the  love  of  the  man’s  will 
which  makes  this  turning,  or  which  converts  and  inverts ;  for, 
as  was  said  above,  every  man  is  his  own  love.  Hence  it  is,  that 
every  one  after  death  goes  in  the  wav  of  his  love, — he  who  is  in 
good  love  goes  to  heaven,  and  he  who  is  in  evil  love  to  hell  ;  nor 
does  he  rest  till  he  is  in  that  society  where  his  ruling  love  is; 

241 


819—321 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and,  what  is  wonderful,  every  one  knows  the  way,  as  though  he 
smelt  it. 

320.  I\T.  That  if  a  man  would  believe ,  as  is  the  truth ,  that 
every  thing  good  and  true  is  from  the  Lord ,  and  every  thing  evil 
and  false  from  hell ,  he  would  neither  appropriate  to  himself 
good ,  and  make  it  meritorious ,  nor  would  he  appropriate  to 
himself  evil ,  and  make  himself  guilty  of  it.  But  as  these  things 
are  contrary  to  the  belief  of  those  who  have  confirmed  in  them- 
selves  the  appearance  that  wisdom  and  prudence  are  from  man, 
and  do  not  flow  in  according  to  the  state  of  the  mind’s  organiza¬ 
tion,  treated  of  above,  n.  319,  therefore  they  shall  be  demon¬ 
strated  ;  and  that  it  may  be  done  distinctly,  the  following  order 
shall  be  observed: — 1.  That  he  that  confirms  in  himself  the  ap¬ 
pearance  that  wisdom  and  prudence  are  from  man,  and  thence 
in  him  as  his  own,  cannot  see  otherwise  than  that  if  this  were 
not  the  case  he  would  not  be  a  man,  but  either  a  beast  or  a 
statue ;  when,  nevertheless,  the  contrary  is  true.  2.  That  to 
believe  and  think,  as  is  the  truth,  that  every  thing  good  and  true 
is  from  the  Lord,  and  every  thing  evil  and  false  from  hell,  ap¬ 
pears  to  be  impossible,  when,  nevertheless,  it  is  truly  human  and 
thence  angelic.  3.  That  so  to  believe  and  think  is  impossible  to 
those  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord’s  divinity,  and  who  do 
not  acknowledge  evils  to  be  sins  ;  but  that  it  is  possible  to  those 
who  acknowledge  these  two  things.  4.  That  those  who  are  in 
the  acknowledgment  of  these  two  things  only  reflect  upon  evils 
in  themselves,  and,  in  proportion  as  they  shun  and  hold  them  in 
aversion  as  sins,  cast  them  out  from  themselves  into  hell  from 
whence  they  come.  5.  That  thus  the  Divine  Providence  neither 
appropriates  evil  nor  good  to  any  one,  but  that  self-derived  pru¬ 
dence  appropriates  both. 

321.  But  these  propositions  shall  be  explained  in  the  order 
proposed.  First,  That  he  that  confirms  in  himself  the  appear 
ance  that  wisdom  and  prudence  are  from  and  in  man  as  his  own , 
cannot  see  otherwise  than  that  if  this  were  not  the  case  he  would 
not  be  a  man ,  but  either  a  beast  or  a  statue  /  when ,  nevertheless , 
the  contrary  is  true.  It  is  a  law  of  the  Divine  Providence,  that 
a  man  should  think  as  from  himself,  and  should  act  prudently 
as  from  himself,  but  yet  should  acknowledge  that  he  does  so 
from  the  Lord.  Lienee  it  follows,  that  he  that  thinks  and  acts 
prudently  as  from  himself,  and,  at  the  same  time,  acknowledges 
that  he  does  so  from  the  Lord,  is  a  man ;  but  not  he  that  con¬ 
firms  in  himself  an  idea  that  all  that  he  thinks  and  does  is  from 
himself;  or  he  that,  because  he  knows  that  wisdom  and  pru¬ 
dence  are  from  God,  yet  waits  for  influx;  for  the  latter  becomes 
like  a  statue,  and  the  former  like  a  beast.  That  he  that  waits 
for  influx  is  like  a  statue,  is  evident ;  for  he  must  stand  or  sit 
motionless,  with  his  hands  hanging  down,  and  his  eyes  either 

242 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


321 


shut  or  wide  open  without  motion,  neither  thinking  nor  breath¬ 
ing  ;  and  in  such  case  what  life  is  there  in  him  ?  That  he  that 
believes  all  he  thinks  and  does  to  be  from  himself  is  not  unlike 
a  beast,  may  also  be  evident ;  because  he  thinks  only  from  the 
natural  mind,  which  every  man  has  in  common  with  beasts, 
and  not  from  the  rational  spiritual  mind,  which  is  the  mind 
truly  human ;  for  this  latter  mind  acknowledges  that  God  alone 
thinks  from  himself,  and  that  a  man  thinks  from  God  ;  there¬ 
fore,  also,  men  who  think  only  from  the  natural  mind  know  no 
difference  between  a  man  and  a  beast,  except  that  the  former 
speaks  and  the  latter  utters  sounds,  and  they  imagine  that  they 
both  die  alike.  Of  those  who  wait  for  influx,  it  may  be  further 
observed  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  who  from  their  hearts 
desire  it,  they  do  not  receive  any  influx.  These  sometimes  re¬ 
ceive  some  answer  by  lively  perception  in  thought,  or  by  tacit 
speech  therein,  but  rarely  by  any  manifest  speech  ;  and  then  it 
is  to  this  effect,  that  they  may  think  and  act  as  they  will  or  as 
they  can,  and  that  he  that  acts  wisely  is  a  wise  man,  and  he 
that  acts  foolishlv  is  a  fool.  They  are  never  instructed  what 
they  ought  to  believe  and  to  do  ;  and  this  to  the  end  that  human 
rationality  and  liberty  may  not  be  destroyed,  which  consists  in 
every  one’s  acting  from  free-will  according  to  reason,  in  all  ap¬ 
pearance  as  from  himself.  Those  who  are  instructed  by  influx 
what  they  ought  to  believe  and  to  do,  are  not  instructed  by  the 
Lord,  or  by  any  angel  of  heaven,  but  by  some  spirit  of  an  en¬ 
thusiast,  Quaker  or  Moravian,  and  are  seduced.  All  influx  from 
the  Lord  is  effected  by  illumination  of  the  understanding,  by 
the  affection  of  truth,  and  by  the  influx  of  the  latter  into  the 
former.  Secondly,  That  to  believe  and  think,  as  is  the  truth , 
that  every  thing  good  and  true  is  from  the  Lord ,  and  every  thing 
evil  and  false  from  hell ,  appears  to  be  impossible  ;  when, neverthe¬ 
less,  it  is  truly  human  and  thence  angelic.  To  believe  and  think 
that  every  thing  good  and  true  is  from  God  appears  possible,  pro¬ 
vided  nothing  further  be  said ;  and  the  reason  is,  that  it  is  con¬ 
formable  to  theological  faith,  against  which  it  is  not  allowable 
to  think ;  but  to  believe  and  think  that  every  thing  evil  and  false 
is  from  hell  appears  impossible,  because  in  this  case  it  would 
also  be  believed  that  a  man  could  not  think  any  thing.  Yet 
every  man  thinks  as  from  himself,  although  from  hell,  because 
it  is  the  gift  of  the  Lord  to  every  one,  that  thought,  whenceso¬ 
ever  it  conies,  shall  appear  in  him  as  his  own ;  otherwise  a  man 
would  not  live  as  a  man ;  nor  could  he  be  brought  out  of  hell, 
and  introduced  into  heaven,  that  is  to  say,  be  reformed,  as  is 
abundantly  shown  above.  Therefore,  also,  the  Lord  grants  to 
every  man  to  know,  and  thence  to  think,  that  he  is  in  hell  if  he 
is  in  evil,  and  that  he  thinks  from  hell  if  he  thinks  from  evil ; 
he  also  grants  him  to  think  of  the  means  whereby  he  may  es¬ 
cape  out  of  hell,  and  not  think  from  thence,  but  enter  into 


321  ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 

heaven,  and  there  think  from  the  Lord  :  and  he  gives  him  free 
dom  of  election ;  from  which  considerations  it  may  be  seen  that 
a  man  can  think  what  is  evil  and  false  as  from  himself,  and  can 
also  think  that  this  or  that  is  evil  and  false ;  consequently  that 
it  is  only  an  appearance  that  it  is  from  himself,  without  which 
appearance  he  would  not  be  a  man.  The  essential  human 
principle,  and  thence  the  angelic,  consists  in  thinking  from  the 
truth;  and  it  is  the  truth,  that  a  man  does  not  think  from  him¬ 
self,  but  that  it  is  granted  him  by  the  Lord  to  think  in  all  ap¬ 
pearance  as  from  himself.  Thirdly,  That  so  to  believe  and 
think  is  impossible  to  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord's 
divinity ,  and  who  do  not  acknowledge  evils  to  be  sins ;  but  that  it 
is  possible  to  those  who  acknowledge  these  two  things.  The  reason 
why  it  is  impossible  to  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord's 
divinity,  is,  because  the  Lord  alone  grants  to  a  man  to  think 
and  will,  and  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord’s  divinity, 
being  separated  from  him,  imagine  that  they  think  from  them¬ 
selves.  The  reason  why  it  is  also  impossible  to  those  who  do 
not  acknowledge  that  evils  are  sins,  is,  because  they  think  from 
hell,  and  every  one  there  supposes  that  he  thinks  from  himself. 
That  it  is  possible,  however,  to  those  who  acknowledge  the 
Lord’s  divinity,  and  that  .evils  are  sins,  may  appear  from  what 
has  been  abundantly  adduced  above,  n.  288 — 29L  Fourthly, 
That  those  who  are  in  the  acknowledgment  of  those  tivo  things , 
only  reflect  upon  evils  in  themselves ,  and  in  proportion  as  they 
shun  and  hold  them  in  aversion  as  sins ,  cast  them  out  into  hell 
from  whence  they  come.  Who  does  not  or  may  not  know,  that 
evil  is  from  hell,  and  that  good  is  from  heaven?  Who  may  not 
thence  know,  that  in  proportion  as  a  man  shuns  evil  and  holds 
it  in  aversion,  he  shuns  hell  and  holds  it  in  aversion  ?  And 
who  may  not  thence  know,  that  in  proportion  as  any  one  shuns 
and  holds  evil  in  aversion,  lie  wills  good  and  loves  it ;  therefore, 
that  in  the  same  proportion  he  is  brought  out  of  hell  by  the 
Lord,  and  led  to  heaven  ?  These  things  every  rational  man  may 
see  plainly,  provided  he  knows  that  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell, 
and  that  evil  and  good  have  each  their  separate  origin.  Aow  if 
a  man  reflects  upon  evils  in  himself,  which  is  the  same  thing  as 
to  examine  himself,  and  shuns  them,  he  then  disengages  himself 
from  hell,  casting  it  behind  him,  and  introduces  himself  into 
heaven,  where  he  sees  the  Lord  face  to  face.  It  is  said  that  the 
man  does  this ;  but  he  only  does  it  seemingly  from  himself,  and 
therefore  from  the  Lord.  When  a  man  acknowledges  this  truth 
from  a  good  heart  and  pious  faith,  it  lies  inwardly  concealed  in 
every  thing  that  he  thinks  and  does  afterwards  as  from  himself; 
like  the  prolific  principle  in  seed,  which  internally  accompanies 
it  even  until  the  production  of  new  seed  ;  and  like  the  pleasure 
of  appetite  for  such  food  as  a  man  has  once  found  to  be  salu¬ 
tary:  in  a  word,  it  is  like  the  heart  and  soul  in  every  tLmg 
2U 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE.  321,  322 

tliat  he  thinks  and  does.  Fifthly;  That  thus  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  neither  appropriates  evil  nor  good  to  any  one ,  but  that  self  - 
derived  prudence  appropriates  both.  This  follows  as  a  consequence 
of  all  that  has  been  said.  The  end  of  the  Divine  Providence  is 
good ;  this  it  consequently  intends  in  every  operation ;  therefore, 
it  does  not  appropriate  good  to  any  one,  for  thereby  such  good 
would  become  meritorious  ;  neither  does  it  appropriate  evil  to 
any  one,  for  thereby  it  would  make  him  guilty  of  evil.  Yet  a 
man  does  both  from  his  proprium,  because  that  is  nothing  but 
evil ;  the  proprium  of  his  will  being  self-love,  and  the  proprium 
of  his  understanding  the  pride  of  self-derived  intelligence,  and 
from  the  latter  proceeds  self-derived  prudence. 


THAT  EVERY  MAN  MAY  BE  REFORMED,  AND  THAT  THERE  IS  NO 

SUCH  THING  AS  PREDESTINATION. 


322.  Sound  reason  dictates  that  all  are  predestined  to  hea¬ 
ven  and  none  to  hell ;  for  all  are  born  men,  and  thence  the 
image  of  God  is  in  them.  The  image  of  God  in  them  consists  in 
their  being  able  to  understand  truth,  and  to  do  good;  and  to  be 
able  to  understand  truth  is  from  the  divine  wisdom,  and  to  be 
able  to  do  good  is  from  the  divine  love.  This  power  is  the 
image  of  God,  which  abides  in  a  man  of  sound  mind,  and  is 
not  eradicated.  Hence  it  is,  that  he  can  be  made  a  civil  and 
moral  man  ;  and  he  that  is  a  civil  and  moral  man  can  also  be 
made  spiritual,  for  what  is  civil  and  moral  is  the  receptacle  of 
what  is  spiritual.  He  that  knows  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of 
which  he  is  a  citizen,  and  lives  according  to  them,  is  called  a 
civil  man,  and  lie  that  makes  those  laws  his  morals  and  his 
virtues,  and  lives  conformably  to  them  from  reason,  is  called  a 
moral  man.  I  will  now  tell  you  how  civil  and  moral  life  is  a 
receptacle  of  spiritual  life  :  live  according  to  those  laws,  con¬ 
sidered  not  only  as  civil  and  moral,  but  also  as  divine  laws,  and 
you  will  be  a  spiritual  man.  There  scarcely  exists  a  nation  so 
barbarous  as  not  to  have  given  the  sanction  of  its  laws  to  the 
prohibition  of  committing  murder,  corrupting  the  wife  of  ano¬ 
ther,  stealing,  false  testimony,  and  the  violation  of  another’s 
rights.  These  laws  are  observed  by  the  civil  and  moral  man, 
in  order  that  he  may  be,  or  seem  to  be,  a  good  citizen  ;  but  if 
he  does  not  at  the  same  time  consider  these  laws  as  divine,  he 
is  only  a  civil  and  moral  natural  man  :  if  he  considers  them  as 
divine,  he  becomes  a  civil  and  moral  spiritual  man.  The  dif¬ 
ference  is,  that  the  latter  is  a  good  citizen  not  only  of  an  earthly 
kingdom,  but  also  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  ;  while  the  former 
is  a  good  citizen  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  but  not  of  the  heavenly 
245 


322,  323 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


kingdom.  The  goods  which  they  do  distinguish  them  :  the 
goods  which  civil  and  moral  natural  men  do,  are  not  goods  in 
themselves,  for  the  man  and  the  world  are  in  them ;  whereas 
the  goods  which  civil  and  moral  spiritual  men  do,  are  in  them¬ 
selves  goods,  because  the  Lord  and  heaven  are  in  them.  Hence 
it  is  evident  that  every  man,  since  he  is  born  such  that  he  can 
be  made  a  civil  and  moral  natural  man,  is  also  born  such  that 
he  can  be  made  a  civil  and  moral  spiritual  man.  It  is  only  to 
acknowledge  God,  and  not  to  do  evils  because  they  are  in  oppo¬ 
sition  to  God,  but  to  do  good  because  it  is  agreeable  to  him. 
By  this,  spirit  enters  into  a  man’s  civil  and  moral  actions,  and 
they  receive  life  ;  but  without  it  there  is  no  spirit  in  them,  and 
consequently  they  have  no  life ;  therefore  the  natural  man,  how¬ 
ever  civilly  and  morally  he  may  act,  is  called  dead,  but  the 
spiritual  man  is  called  alive.  It  is  of  the  Lord’s  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  that  every  nation  has  some  religion,  and  the  foundation 
of  all  religion  is  an  acknowledgment  that  there  is  a  God  ; 
otherwise  it  is  not  called  a  religion  ;  and  every  nation,  which 
lives  according  to  its  religion,  that  is,  which  refrains  from  evil 
because  it  is  against  its  God,  receives  something  spiritual  into 
its  natural  principle.  What  person,  when  he  hears  any  Gentile 
say  he  will  not  do  this  or  that  because  it  is  against  his  God, 
does  not  say  within  himself,  Will  not  this  man  be  saved  ?  It 
appears  as  if  it  could  not  be  otherwise  :  this  sound  reason  dic¬ 
tates  to  him.  On  the  other  hand,  what  person  when  he  hears 
a  Christian  say,  I  make  no  account  of  this  or  that  evil ;  what 
signifies  its  being  said  to  be  against  God  ?  does  not  say  within 
himself,  Can  this  man  be  saved  ?  It  appears  as  if  he  could 
not :  this  also  sound  reason  dictates.  If  he  says,  I  was  born  a 
Christian,  have  been  baptized,  have  known  the  Lord,  have  read 
the  Word,  and  received  the  sacrament;  do  these  things  avail 
any  thing,  when  he  breathes  murder,  or  revenge  leading  to 
murder,  and  does  not  consider*  as  sins  adultery,  secret  theft, 
false  testimony,  or  lies,  and  various  violences  ?  Does  such  a 
one  think  any  thing  of  God  or  of  life  eternal  ?  Does  he  think 
that  they  have  any  existence  ?  Does  not  sound  reason  dictate 
that  such  a  one  cannot  be  saved  ?  These  things  are  said  of  the 
Christian,  because  the  Gentile  thinks  more  of  God  from  religion 
in  his  life  than  the  Christian  does.  But  of  this  more  shall 
be  said  below,  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  the  end  of  crea¬ 
tion  is  a  heaven  out  of  the  human  race.  II.  That  thence  it  is 
of  tl*3  Divine  Providence  that  every  man  is  capable  of  being 
saved,  and  that  those  are  saved  who  acknowledge  a  God  and 
lead  a  good  life.  III.  That  it  is  a  man’s  own  fault  if  he  is  not 
savfcd.  IV.  That  thus  all  are  predestined  to  heaven,  and  none 
to  hell. 

323.  I.  That  the  end  of  creation  is  a  heaven  out  of  the 
hi  man  race.  That  heaven  consists  cnly  of  such  as  were  bom 
216 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


323,  324 

men,  is  shown  in  the  work  concerning  Heaven  and  Hell, 
published  at  London  in  the  year  1758,  and  also  above ;  and  as 
heaven  does  not  consist  of  any  others,  it  follows  that  the  end  of 
creation  is  a  heaven  out  of  the  human  race.  That  this  was  the 
end  of  creation  was  indeed  shown  above,  n.  27 — 15  ;  but  the 
same  will  be  still  more  manifestly  seen  from  an  explanation  of 
the  following  points.  1.  That  every  man  is  created  to  live  to 
eternitv.  2.  That  every  man  is  created  to  live  to  eternitv  in  a 
state  of  happiness.  3.  That  therefore  every  man  is  created  to  go 
to  heaven.  1.  That  the  divine  love  cannot  do  otherwise  than 
desire  it,  and  that  the  divine  wisdom  cannot  do  otherwise  than 
provide  for  it. 

321.  Since  from  these  considerations  it  may  also  be  seen 
that  the  Divine  Providence  is  no  other  predestination  than  to 
heaven,  and  that  it  cannot  be  changed  into  any  other,  it  is 
here  to  be  demonstrated,  in  the  order  proposed,  that  the  end 
of  creation  is  a  heaven  out  of  the  human  race.  First,  That 
every  man  is  created  to  live  to  eternity.  In  the  treatise  concern¬ 
ing  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  Parts  III.  and 
V.,  it  is  shown  that  in  every  man  there  are  three  degrees  of 
life,  which  are  called  natural,  spiritual,  and  celestial,  and  that 
these  three  degrees  are  actually  in  every  one ;  but  that  in  beasts 
there  is  only  one  degree  of  life,  which  is  similar  to  the  ultimate 
degree  in  a  man,  called  natural.  From  this  it  follows,  that, 
by  the  elevation  of  his  life  to  the  Lord,  a  man  is  capable,  though 
beasts  are  not,  of  being  brought  into  such  a  state  as  to  be  able 
to  understand  those  things  which  are  of  the  divine  wisdom, 
and  to  will  those  things  which  are  of  the  divine  love,  conse- 
quently  to  receive  the  divine  influence ;  and  he  that  can  re¬ 
ceive  the  Divine  influence,  so  as  to  see  and  perceive  it  in  him¬ 
self,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  conjoined  with  the  Lord,  and 
from  that  conjunction  cannot  but  live  to  eternity.  What  would 
the  Lord  be,  with  all  his  creation  of  the  universe,  if  he  had 
not  also  created  images  and  likenesses  of  himself,  to  whom  he 
might  communicate  his  divine  influence?  In  any  other  case, 
would  it  not  be  like  causing  something  to  be  and  not  to  be,  or 
to  exist  and  not  to  exist,  and  this  for  no  other  purpose  but  that 
he  might  contemplate  at  a  distance  a  mere  shifting  of  scenes 
and  continual  variations  as  upon  a  theatre  ?  To  what  purpose 
would  the  divine  principle  be  in  men,  were  it  not  to  the  end 
that  they  might  serve  as  subjects  to  receive  it  more  nearly,  and 
to  see  and  feel  it?  And  as  the  Divine  Being  is  a  being  of  in- 
exhaustible  glory,  is  it  likely  that  he  would  keep  it  to  himself, 
or  indeed  could  he  ?  For  love  wishes  to  communicate  its  own 
to  another, — to  give,  indeed,  as  much  of  its  own  as  it  can ;  and 
what  then  must  the  Divine  Love  do,  which  is  infinite  ?  Can 
such  love  give,  and  then  take  away  again?  Would  not  this  be 
giving  what  is  to  perish,  which  in  itself  internallv  is  not  any 
217 


324 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


thing,  because  when  it  perishes  it  becomes  nothing,  there  not 
being  in  it  that  which  really  exists  ?  but  He  gives  what  really 
exists,  or  what  does  not  cease  to  be,  and  that  is  eternal.  In 
order  that  every  man  may  live  to  eternity,  that  which  is  mortal 
about  him  is  taken  away,  namely,  his  material  body,  which  is 
taken  away  by  death :  thus  his  immortal  part,  which  is  his 
mind,  is  stripped  naked,  and  then  he  becomes  a  spirit  in  a 
human  form,  his  mind  being  that  spirit.  That  the  mind  oi 
man  cannot  die,  the  sages  or  wise  men  of  antiquity  saw  very 
plainly ;  for  they  said,  How  can  the  soul  or  mind  die,  when  it 
has  the  faculty  of  acquiring  wisdom  ?  Their  interior  idea  on 
this  subject  is  known  only  to  few  at  this  day;  but  it  descended 
into  their  common  perception  from  heaven,  and  was  this, — that 
God  is  wisdom  itself,  of  which  man  is  a  partaker,  and  that  God 
is  immortal  or  eternal.  As  it  has  been  permitted  me  to  con¬ 
verse  with  angels,  I  will  also  relate  something  on  this  subject 
from  experience.  I  have  conversed  with  some  who  lived  many 
years  ago,  with  some  who  lived  before  the  deluge  and  some  aftei 
it,  with  some  who  lived  in  the  Lord’s  time,  with  one  of  his 
apostles,  and  with  many  who  lived  in  the  succeeding  ages :  they 
all  seemed  like  men  of  a  middle  age,  and  said  that  they  know 
not  what  death  is,  but  only  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  damna 
tion.  All  indeed  who  have  led  a  good  life,  when  they  go  tc 
heaven,  enter  into  their  juvenile  age  in  the  world,  and  continue 
in  it  to  eternity,  even  though  they  were  old  and  decrepit  in  the 
world  ;  and  women,  although  thev  had  been  wrinkled  and  anti- 
quated,  return  to  the  flower  of  their  youth  and  beauty.  That 
every  man  after  death  lives  to  eternity  is  evident  from  the  Word, 
where  life  in  heaven  is  called  life  everlasting ;  as  in  Matthew 
xix.  29;  xxv.  46;  Mark  x.  IT ;  Luke  x.  25;  xviii.  30;  John 
iii.  15,  16,  36  ;  v.  24,  25,  39 ;  vi.  27,  40,  68 ;  xii.  50  ;  also, 
simply,  life,  Matt,  xviii.  8,  9  ;  John  v.  40  ;  xx.  31.  The  Lord 
said  also  to  his  disciples,  u  Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also,” 
John  xiv.  19  ;  and  concerning  the  resurrection,  that  God  is  the 
God  of  the  living,  and  not  the  God  of  the  dead  ;  also,  that 
they  cannot  die  any  more  (Luke  xx.  36,  38).  Secondly,  That 
every  man  is  created  to  live  to  eternity  in  a  state  of  happiness, 
follows  of  course ;  for  he  that  wills  that  every  man  should  live 
to  eternity,  wills  also  that  he  should  live  in  a  state  of  happi¬ 
ness.  What  would  eternal  life  be  without  it  ?  All  love  wills 
or  desires  the  good  of  another.  The  love  of  parents  desires 
the  good  of  children ;  the  love  of  the  bridegroom  and  the  hus¬ 
band  desires  the  good  of  the  bride  and  the  wife ;  and  the  love 
of  friendship  desires  the  good  of  friends :  what  then  must  not 
the  divine  love  do  ?  And  what  is  good  but  delight  ?  what  divine 
good  but  eternal  beatitude  ?  All  good  is  called  good  from  its 
delight  or  beatitude.  All  indeed  which  is  given  and  possessed 
is  called  good  ;  but  unless  it  be  also  delightful,  it  is  sterile 
248 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


324 


good,  which  is  not  good  in  itself.  Hence  it  appears  that 
eternal  life  is  also  eternal  happiness.  This  state  of  man  is  the 
end  and 'purpose  of  creation.  That  only  those  who  go  to  heaven 
are  in  this  state,  is  not  the  Lord’s  fault,  but  man’s.  That 
the  fault  is  in  man  will  he  seen  in  what  follows.  Thirdly, 
That  therefore  every  man  is  created  to  cjo  to  heaven.  This 
is  the  end  of  creation ;  hut  the  reason  why  all  do  not  go  to 
heaven,  is,  because  they  imbibe  the  delights  of  hell,  which 
are  opposite  to  the  beatitude  of  heaven ;  and  those  who  are 
not  in  the  beatitude  of  heaven  cannot  enter  into  heaven,  for 
they  cannot  bear  it.  No  one  who  enters  the  spiritual  world  is 
refused  the  liberty  of  ascending  into  heaven  ;  but  he  that,  when 
he  comes  there,  is  in  the  delight  of  hell,  has  a  palpitation  at 
his  heart,  labours  in 'his  breathing,  begins  to  lose  all  life,  is  in 
anguish  and  torment,  and  rolls  himself  about  like  a  serpent  laid 
before  the  lire :  this  is  the  case,  because  opposites  act  against 
each  other.  Notwithstanding,  as  they  were  born  men,  and 
thence  in  the  faculty  of  thinking  and  willing,  consecpiently  in 
the  faculty  of  speaking  and  acting,  they  cannot  die ;  but  as 
they  cannot  live  with  any  but  those  who  are  in  a  similar  delight 
of  life,  they  are  sent  to  them ;  those  who  are  in  the  delights  of 
evil,  and  those  who  are  in  the  delights  of  good,  being  respec- 
tivelv  remanded  to  those  who  are  like  themselves.  It  is  even 

fJ 

allowed  to  every  one  to  be  in  the  delight  of  his  evil,  provided  he 
does  not  infest  those  who  are  in  the  delight  of  good  :  but  as  evil 
cannot  do  otherwise  than  infest  good,  for  in  evil  there  is  hatred 
against  good,  therefore  lest  they  should  do  mischief,  they  are 
removed,  and  cast  down  into  their  proper  places  in  hell,  where 
their  delight  is  turned  to  what  is  unclelightful.  This  however 
does  not  prevent  a  man  from  being  by  creation,  consequently 
by  birth,  of  such  a  quality  that  he  may  go  to  heaven  ;  for  every 
one  that  dies  an  infant  goes  to  heaven,  is  educated  and  instructed 
there  as  a  man  is  in  the  world,  and  by  the  affection  of  good  and 
truth  imbibes  wisdom  and  becomes  an  angel.  The  same  might 
be  the  case  with  a  man  that  is  educated  and  instructed  in  the 
world  ;  for  the  same  capability  which  is  in  an  infant  is  in  him. 
Concerning  infants  in  the  spiritual  world,  see  the  work  on 
Heaven  and  Hell,  published  in  London  in  1758,  n.  329 — 345. 
The  reason  why  it  is  not  the  same  with  many  in  the  world,  is, 
because  they  love  the  first  degree  of  their  life,  called  the  natural 

*J  cD 

degree,  and  will  not  recede  from  it  and  become  spiritual ;  and 
the  natural  degree  of  life,  considered  in  itself,  loves  nothing  but 
self  and  the  world ;  for  it  coheres  with  the  bodily  senses,  which 
also  communicate  with  the  world :  but  the  spiritual  degree  of 
life,  considered  in  itself,  loves  the  Lord  and  heaven,  and  also 
itself  and  the  world  :  yet  God  and  heaven  as  superior,  principal, 
and  governing,  and  self  and  the  world  as  inferior,  instrumental, 

249 


324,  325 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  subservient.  Fourthly,  That  the  Divine  .Love  cannot  do 
otherwise  than  will  it ,  and  that  the  Divine  Wisdom  cannot  do 
otherwise  than  provide  for  it.  That  the  Divine  Essence  is  divine 
love  and  divine  wisdom,  was  fully  shown  in  the  treatise  con¬ 
cerning  The  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom.  It  is  also 
demonstrated  there,  n.  35S — 370,  that  in  every  human  embryo 
the  Lord  forms  two  receptacles, — one  of  the  divine  love,  and  the 
other  of  the  divine  wisdom, — the  receptacle  of  divine  love  for 
the  man’s  future  will,  and  the  receptacle  of  divine  wisdom  for 
his  future  understanding,  and  that  thus  he  endows  every  man 
with  a  faculty  of  willing  good  and  of  understanding  truth.  Now 
as  every  man  has  these  two  faculties  given  him  from  his  birth 
by  the  Lord,  and  thence  the  Lord  is  in  them  as  in  his  own  in 
the  man,  it  is  evident  that  his  divine  love  cannot  will  otherwise 
than  that  every  man  should  go  to  heaven  and  there  enjoy  eter- 
nal  beatitude,  and  also  that  his  divine  wisdom  cannot  do  other¬ 
wise  than  provide  for  it.  As,  however,  it  is  of  his  divine  love 
that  a  man  should  feel  heavenly  beatitude  in  himself  as  his  own, 
and  this  cannot  be  done  unless  he  is  kept  perfectly  in  the  ap¬ 
pearance  that  he  thinks,  wills,  speaks,  and  acts  from  himself, 
therefore  the  Lord  cannot  lead  him  any  otherwise  than  according 
to  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence. 

325.  II.  That  thence  it  is  of  the  Divine  Providence  that  every 
man  is  capable  of  being  saved ,  and  that  those  are  saved  who  ac¬ 
knowledge  a  God  and  lead  a  good  life.  That  every  one  is  ca¬ 
pable  of  being  saved  is  evident  from  what  has  been  demonstrated 
above.  Some  are  of  opinion  that  the  church  of  the  Lord  is  only 
in  the  Christian  world,  because  the  Lord  is  known  there  only, 
and  the  Word  is  there  only;  yet  there  are  many  who  believe 
that  the  church  of  God  is  common,  or  extended  and  spread  over 
the  whole  earth,  consequently  among  those  likewise  who  are 
ignorant  of  the  Lord,  and  have  not  the  Word;  urging,  that  this 
is  not  their  fault,  that  there  is  no  help  for  their  ignorance,  and 
that  it  is  not  consistent  with  the  love  and  mercy  of  the  Lord 
that  any  one  should  be  born  for  hell,  when  they  are  nevertheless 
all  equally  men.  How  as  there  is  a  belief  among  Christians, — 
among  many  at  least,  if  not  among  all, — that  the  church  is 
common,  and  it  is  also  called  a  communion,  it  follows  that  there 
are  some  very  common  or  general  essentials  of  the  church,  which 
are  the  constituents  of  all  religions,  and  form  such  communion. 
That  these  most  common  or  general  essentials  are  the  acknow¬ 
ledgment  of  a  God,  and  the  good  of  life,  will  be  seen  in  the 
following  order.  1.  That  the  acknowledgment  of  a  God  effects 
a  conjunction  of  God  with  man,  and  of  man  with  God,  and  that 
the  denial  of  a  God  produces  a  disjunction.  2.  That  every  one 
acknowledges  God,  and  is  joined  to  him,  according  to  the  good 
of  his  life.  3.  That  the  good  of  life,  or  to  live  well,  is  to  shun 
250 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


325,  326 


evils  because  t bey  are  contrary  to  religion,  therefore  against 
God.  d.  That  these  are  the  common  essentials  of  all  religions, 
by  which  every  one  may  be  saved. 

326.  But  these  propositions  are  to  be  viewed  and  demon¬ 
strated  separately.  I.  That  the  acknowledgment  of  a  God  effects 
a  conjunction  of  God  with  man ,  and  of  man  with  God ,  and  that 
the  denial  of  a  God  produces  a  disjunction.  Some  may  think 
that  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  a  God  can  be  saved  as  well 
as  those  who  do,  provided  they  lead  a  moral  life ;  saying,  What 
does  acknowledgment  signify  ?  Does  it  not  consist  in  thought 
only?  Cannot  I  easily  acknowledge,  when  I  know  for  certain, 
that  there  is  a  God  ?  I  have  heard  of  him,  but  I  never  saw 
him  :  let  me  see  him,  and  I  will  believe.  Such  is  the  language 
of  many  who  deny  God,  when  it  is  permitted  them  to  reason 
freely  with  one  who  acknowledges  God.  But  that  the  acknow- 
ledgment  of  a  God  conjoins,  and  the  denial  of  a  God  separates, 
shall  be  illustrated  by  some  particulars  known  to  me  in  the 
spiritual  world.  In  that  world,  when  any  one  thinks  of  another 
and  desires  to  speak  with  him,  the  other  is  immediately  present. 
This  is  common  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  never  fails ;  the 
reason  of  which  is,  that  in  that  world  there  is  no  distance,  as 
in  the  natural  world,  but  only  an  appearance  of  it.  Another 
particular  is,  that  as  thought  from  some  knowledge  of  another 
causes  his  presence,  so  love  from  some  affection  for  another, 
causes  conjunction  with  him,  by  which  it  comes  to  pass  that 
they  go  together,  converse  in  a  friendly  manner,  dwell  in  one 
house  or  in  one  society,  often  meet,  and  do  mutual  good  offices 
to  each  other.  The  reverse  also  takes  place ;  for  he  that  does 
not  love  another,  more  especially  he  that  hates  another,  does 
not  see  or  meet  him,  and  the  distance  between  them  is  in  pro¬ 
portion  to  the  degree  in  which  there  is  a  want  of  love,  or  in 
which  hatred  prevails.  Even  if  he  is  present,  and  then  remem¬ 
bers  his  hatred,  he  becomes  invisible.  From  these  particulars 
it  may  appear  what  is  the  cause  of  presence  and  of  conjunction 
in  the  spiritual  world,  namely,  that  presence  proceeds  from  the 
remembrance  of  another  with  a  desire  to  see  him,  and  conjunc¬ 
tion  proceeds  from  the  affection  which  is  of  love.  It  is  the  same 
with  all  things  which  are  in  the  human  mind :  therein  are 
things  innumerable,  and  all  the  particulars  there  are  consociated 
or  conjoined  according  to  affections,  or  as  one  thing  loves  an¬ 
other.  This  is  spiritual  conjunction,  which  is  like  itself  both 
in  things  general  and  in  things  particular.  This  spiritual  con¬ 
junction  derives  its  origin  from  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord 
with  the  spiritual  world  and  the  natural  world,  in  general  and 
in  particular.  From  this  consideration  it  is  evident,  that  in 
proportion  as  any  one  acknowledges  the  Lord,  and  thinks  of 
him  from  knowledge,  the  Lord  is  present ;  and  in  proportion  as 
anv  one  acknowledges  him  from  the  affection  of  love,  the  Lord 


326 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


is  conjoined  witli  him :  on  the  contrary,  that  in  proportion  as 
any  one  does  not  acknowledge  the  Lord,  the  Lord  is  absent ; 
and  in  proportion  as  any  one  denies  him,  he  is  separated  from 
him.  Conjunction  causes  the  Lord  to  turn  the  face  of  a  man 
to  himself,  and  then  to  lead  him ;  and  disjunction  causes  hell 
to  turn  the  face  of  a  man  to  itself,  and  to  lead  him  :  all  the 
angels  of  heaven,  therefore,  turn  their  faces  to  the  Lord  as  the 
sun,  and  all  the  spirits  of  hell  turn  away  their  faces  from  the 
Lord.  Hence  is  evident  what  is  the  effect  produced  by  the  ac¬ 
knowledgment  of  a  God,  and  what  by  the  denial  of  a  God. 
Those  also  who  deny  God  in  the  world,  deny  him  after  death, 
becoming  organized  according  to  the  description  above,  n.  319 ; 
and  the  organization  induced  in  the  world  remains  to  eternity. 
Secondly,  That  every  one  acknowledges  God ,  and  is  conjoined 
with  him ,  according  to  the  good  of  his  life.  All  who  know  any 
thing  of  religion  may  know  God.  They  can  also  speak  of  God 
from  science  or  the  memory,  and  some  even  think  of  God  from 
the  understanding ;  but  this,  unless  a  man  leads  a  good  life, 
produces  nothing  but  presence ;  for  he  can  turn  himself  from 
God  notwithstanding,  and  turn  himself  to  hell,  which  is  the 
case  if  he  leads  a  bad  life.  Hone  can  acknowdedge  God  in  their 
hearts  except  those  who  lead  a  good  life  ;  and  these,  according 
to  the  good  of  their  life,  the  Lord  turns  away  from  hell,  and 
turns  to  himself.  The  reason  is,  because  these  alone  love  God  ; 
for  they  love  divine  things,  which  are  from  him,  by  doing 
them.  The  divine  things,  which  are  from  God,  are  the  precepts 
of  his  law ;  and  these  are  God,  because  he  is  his  own  proceed¬ 
ing  divine.  As  this  is  to  love  God,  therefore  the  Lord  says, 
“He  that  keepeth  my  commandments,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me ; 
and  he  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth  not  my  sayings’5  (John  xiv. 
21 — 24).  This  is  the  reason  why  there  are  twro  tables  of  the 
Decalogue, — one  for  God  and  the  other  for  man.  God  continu¬ 
ally  operates,  that  a  man  may  receive  the  things  which  are  in 
his  table ;  but  if  he  does  not  the  things  which  are  in  his  table, 
he  does  not  receive  with  acknowledgment  of  heart  the  things 
which  are  in  God’s  table ;  and  if  he  does  not  receive  them,  lie 
is  not  conjoined.  Therefore  those  two  tables  wTere  joined  toge¬ 
ther,  that  they  might  be  one,  and  wTere  called  the  tables  of  the 
covenant ;  and  covenant  signifies  conjunction.  The  reason  why 
every  one  acknowdedges  God,  and  is  conjoined  with  him  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  good  of  his  life,  is,  because  good  of  life  is  similar  to 
the  good  which  is  in  the  Lord,  and  which  therefore  is  from  the 
Lord ;  consequently,  when  a  man  is  in  the  good  of  life,  con¬ 
junction  is  effected.  It  is  the  contrary  with  evil  of  life  ;  for  this 
rejects  the  Lord.  Thirdly,  That  the  good  of  life ,  or  to  live 
well ,  is  to  shun  evils  because  they  are  contrary  to  religion ,  there - 
fore  against  God.  That  this  is  the  good  of  life,  or  to  live  well, 
is  fully  sliowm  in  The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  Hew  Jeru 
252 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


326 


salem,  from  beginning  to  end.  To  which  I  will  only  add,  that 
if  you  do  good  in  all  abundance;  if,  for  example,  you  build 
churches,  adorn  and  till  them  with  donations,  lay  out  money  in 
hospitals  and  charities,  give  alms  daily,  help  widows  and  or¬ 
phans,  regularly  perform  the  ceremonies  of  divine  worship,  if 
even  you  think,  speak,  and  preach  things  holy  as  from  the  heart, 
and  yet  do  not  shun  evils  as  sins  against  God,  all  those  goods 
are  not  goods,  but  are  either  hypocritical  or  meritorious  ;  for 
there  is  inwardly  evil  in  them  notwithstanding,  since  the  life  of 
every  one  is  in  all  and  every  thing  that  he  does.  Goods  are  no 
otherwise  made  goods  than  by  the  removal  of  evil  from  them. 
Hence  it  is  evident,  that  to  shun  evils  because  they  are  con¬ 
trary  to  religion,  and  therefore  against  God,  is  to  live  well. 
Fourthly,  That  these  are  the  common  essentials  of  all  religions , 
Ijg  which  every  one  may  he  saved.  To  acknowledge  a  God,  and 
not  to  do  evil  because  it  is  against  God,  are  the  two  things  by 
virtue  of  which  religion  is  religion.  If  one  of  them  is  wanting, 
it  cannot  be  called  religion  ;  for  to  acknowledge  a  God  and  to 
do  evil  is  contradictory,  as  well  as  to  do  good  and  not  to  ac¬ 
knowledge  a  God :  one  does  not  take  place  without  the  other. 
It  is  provided  by  the  Lord  that  there  is  some  religion  almost 
everywhere,  and  that  in  every  religion  there  are  these  two 
essentials.  It  is  provided  by  the  Lord  that  every  one  who  ac¬ 
knowledges  a  God,  and  abstains  from  evil  because  it  is  against 
God,  has  a  place  in  heaven ;  for  heaven  in  the  complex  resem¬ 
bles  one  man,  whose  life  or  soul  is  the  Lord.  In  that  celestial 
man  there  are  all  things  which  are  in  a  natural  man ;  with  that 


difference  which  exists  between  things  celestial  and  natural.  It 
is  well  known  that  in  a  man  there  are  not  only  organized  forms, 
consisting  of  blood-vessels  and  nervous  fibres,  which  are  called 
viscera,  but  also  skins,  membranes,  tendons,  cartilages,  bones, 
nails,  and  teeth,  which  have  life  in  a  less  degree  than  the  or¬ 
ganized  forms  themselves,  to  which  they  serve  as  ligaments, 
teguments,  and  supports.  That  celestial  man,  which  is  heaven, 
in  order  that  there  may  be  all  these  parts  in  him,  cannot  be 
composed  of  men  all  of  one  religion,  but  of  men  of  different 
religions ;  and  hence,  all  who  apply  to  their  lives  those  two 
universals  of  the  church  have  a  place  in  that  celestial  man,  that 
is,  in  heaven,  and  there  enjoy  felicity,  each  in  his  degree ;  but 
on  this  subject  see  more  above,  n.  254.  That  these  two  essen¬ 
tials  are  primary  in  every  religion  may  appear  from  their  being 
the  two  essentials  which  the  Decalogue  teaches ;  and  the  Deca¬ 
logue  was  primary  in  the  Word,  being  promulgated  from  Mount 
Sinai  by  Jehovah  viva  voce ,  and  written  upon  two  tables  of 
stone  by  the  finger  of  God ;  then,  being  deposited  in  the  ark, 
it  was  called  Jehovah,  and  constituted  the  holy  of  holies  in  the 
tabernacle  and  the  most  sacred  place  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem; 
and  all  things  there  derived  their  sanctity  from  it  alone.  Con- 


253 


326,  32T 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


cerning  the  Decalogue  in  the  ark,  more  may  be  seen  from  the 
Word  in  The  Doctrine  of  Life  for  the  New  Jerusalem, 
n.  53 — 61 ;  to  which  I  will  acid  as  follows  :  it  is  known  from  the 
Word  that  the  ark,  in  which  were  the  two  tables  whereupon 
the  Decalogue  was  written,  was  taken  by  the  Philistines,  and 
placed  in  the  temple  of  Dagon,  in  Ashdod ;  that  Dagon  fell 
down  before  it  to  the  earth ;  that  afterwards  his  head  and  the 
palms  of  his  hands  were  separated  from  his  body,  and  lay  upon 
the  threshold  of  the  temple  ;  that  the  Ashdodites  and  Ekronites, 
by  reason  of  the  ark,  were  smitten  with  emerocls  to  the  number 
of  several  thousands,  and  that  their  country  was  wasted  by 
mice ;  also,  that  the  Philistines,  by  the  advice  of  the  chiefs  of 
their  nation,  made  live  emerods,  live  golden  mice,  and  a  new 
cart,  upon  which  they  set  the  ark,  with  the  emerods  and  golden 
mice  beside  it,  and  sent  back  the  ark,  by  two  kine,  which  lowed 
in  the  way  before  it,  to  the  children  of  Israel,  by  whom  the 
kine  and  the  cart  were  sacrificed.  See  4  Sam.  chaps,  v.  and  vi. 
It  shall  now  be  shown  what  all  these  particulars  signified.  The 
Philistines  signified  those  who  are  in  faith  separate  from  charity ; 
Dagon  represented  their  religion  ;  the  emerods,  whereby  they 
were  smitten,  signified  natural  loves,  which  when  separated 
from  spiritual  love  are  unclean ;  the  mice  signified  the  devasta¬ 
tion  of  the  church  by  falsifications  of  truth ;  the  new  cart  upon 
which  they  sent  back  the  ark,  signified  new,  but  natural,  doc¬ 
trine,  for  chariot  in  the  Word  signifies  doctrine  grounded  in 
spiritual  truths ;  the  kine  signified  good  natural  affections ; 
the  golden  emerods  signified  natural  loves  purified  and  made 
good ;  the  golden  mice  signified  the  vastation  of  the  church 
removed  by  good,  for  gold  in  the  Word  signifies  good  ;  the  low¬ 
ing  of  the  kine  in  the  way  signified  the  difficult  conversion  of 
the  concupiscences  of  evil  in  the  natural  man  into  good  affec¬ 
tions  ;  and  the  offering  the  kine  with  the  cart,  as  a  burnt- 
offering,  signified  that  thus  atonement  would  be  made  to  the 
Lord.  These  are  the  things  which  are  spiritually  meant  by 
those  historical  tacts :  connect  them  into  one  sense,  and  make 
the  application.  That  by  the  Philistines  are  represented  those 
who  are  in  faith  separate  from  charity  may  be  seen  in  The 
Doctrine  of  the  New  Jerusalem  concerning  Faith,  n.  49 — 54 ; 
and  that  the  ark,  by  reason  of  the  Decalogue  therein  contained, 
was  the  most  holy  thing  of  the  church,  see  the  Doctrine  of 
Life  for  the  New  Jerusalem,  n.  53 — 61. 

327.  III.  That  it  is  a  man's  own  fault  if  he  is  not  saved. 
This  truth  is  acknowledged  by  every  rational  man  as  soon  as  it 
is  heard,  viz.  that  evil  cannot  flow  from  good,  or  good  from  evil, 
because  they  are  opposites  ;  consequently,  that  from  good  no¬ 
thing  but  good  can  flow,  and  from  evil  nothing  but  evil.  When 
this  truth  is  acknowledged,  the  following  is  acknowledged  also, 
^iz.  that  good  can  be  turned  into  evil,  not  by  a  good  but  by  an 
254 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


327,  329 


evil  recipient ;  for  every  form  turns  wliat  is  influent  into  its  own 
quality.  See  above,  n.  292.  blow  as  the  Lord  is  good  in  its 
verv  essence,  or  good  itself,  it  is  evident  that  evil  cannot  flow 
Irom  him,  or  be  produced  by  him ;  but  that  it  can  be  turned 
into  evil  by  a  recipient  subject,  whose  form  is  a  form  of  evil. 
Such  a  subject  is  every  man  with  respect  to  his  proprium,  which 
continually  receives  good  from  the  Lord,  and  continually  turns 
it  into  the  quality  of  its  form,  which  is  a  form  of  evil.  Hence 
it  follows  that  it  is  a  man’s  own  fault  if  he  is  not  saved.  Evil 
is  indeed  from  hell ;  yet  as  a  man  receives  it  thence  as  his  own, 
and  thereby  appropriates  it  to  himself,  it  makes  no  difference 
whether  you  say  that  evil  is  from  man  or  fromJiell.  But  whence 
there  is  an  appropriation  of  evil  in  such  a  degree  that  religion 
perishes,  shall  be  shown  in  the  following  series.  1.  That  every 
religion,  in  process  of  time,  decreases,  and  is  consummated. 
2.  That  everv  religion  decreases  and  is  consummated  by  an  in- 
version  of  the  image  of  God  in  man.  3.  That  this  takes  place 
from  a  continual  accumulation  of  hereditary  evil  in  successive 
generations.  4.  That  it  is  nevertheless  provided  by  the  Lord, 
that  every  one  is  capable  of  being  saved.  5.  That  it  is  also 
provided  that  a  new  church  should  succeed  in  place  of  the  former 
vastated  church. 

328.  These  propositions  are  to  be  demonstrated  in  tliui 
series.  First,  That  every  religion  in  process  of  time  decreases 
and  is  consummated.  Upon  this  earth  there  have  been  several 
churches,  one  after  another ;  since,  wherever  the  human  race 
exists,  there  a  church  exists ;  for,  as  was  demonstrated  above, 
heaven,  which  is  the  end  of  creation,  consists  of  the  human 
race  ;  and  no  one  can  enter  heaven  unless  he  be  in  the  two  uni- 
versals  of  the  church,  which,  as  is  shown  above,  n.  326,  are  the 
acknowledgment  of  a  God,  and  the  leading  of  a  good  life ; 
hence  it  follows  that  there  have  been  churches  upon  this  earth 
from  the  most  ancient  times  down  to  the  present.  These 
churches  are  described  in  the  Word,  but  not  historically,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Israelitish  and  Jewish  church,  before  which, 
nevertheless,  there  existed  several  that  are  only  described  in 
the  Word  under  the  names  of  nations  and  persons,  and  certain 
particulars  concerning  them.  The  most  ancient  church,  which 
was  the  first,  is  described  by  Adam  and  his  wife  Eve.  The 
succeeding  church,  which  is  to  be  called  the  ancient  church,  is 
described  by  Hoah  and  his  three  sons,  and  their  posterity. 
This  was  extensive  and  spread  over  many  kingdoms  of  Asia, 
namely,  the  land  of  Canaan  on  both  sides  Jordan,  Syria,  Assyria 
and  Chaldea,  Mesopotamia,  Egypt,  Arabia,  Tyre  and  Sid  on ; 
and  amono;  these  was  the  ancient  Word,  mentioned  in  The 
Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred 
Scripture,  n.  101 — 103.  That  such  church  existed  in  those 
kingdoms  is  evident  from  various  particulars  recorded  concerning 
255 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


them  iii  the  prophetic  parts  of  the  "Word.  That  church,  how¬ 
ever,  was  remarkably  changed  by  Eber,  from  whom  the  Hebrew 
church  had  its  origin  ;  in  which  latter  sacrificial  worship  was 
first  instituted.  From  the  Hebrew  church  sprang  the  Israeli tish 
and  Jewish  church,  established  with  much  solemnity  for  the  sake 
of  the  Word  which  was  therein  to  be  written.  These  four 
churches  are  meant  by  the  image  seen  by  Nebuchadnezzar  in  a 
dream,  whose  head  was  of  pure  gold,  the  breast  and  arms  of 
silver,  the  belly  and  thighs  of  brass,  and  the  legs  and  feet  of  iron 
and  clay  (Dan.  ii.  32,  33).  The  same  is  meant  by  the  golden, 
silver,  copper,  and  iron  ages  mentioned  by  ancient  writers. 
That  the  Christian  church  succeeded  the  Jewish  church  is  well 
known  ;  and  it  may  be  seen  from  the  Word  that  all  these  churches 
respectively  declined  in  process  of  time,  till  there  was  an  end  of 
them,  which  is  called  the  consummation.  The  consummation 
of  the  most  ancient  church,  which  was  occasioned  by  eating  of 
the  tree  of  knowledge,  whereby  is  signified  the  pride  of  self- 
derived  intelligence,  is  described  by  the  deluge.  The  consum¬ 
mation  of  the  ancient  church  is  described  by  various  devastations 
of  the  nations  treated  of  in  the  historical  as  well  as  in  the  pro¬ 
phetical  parts  of  the  Word,  especially  by  the  casting  out  of  the 
nations  from  the  land  of  Canaan  by  the  children  of  Israel. 
The  consummation  of  the  Israelitish  and  Jewish  church  is  un¬ 
derstood  by  the  destruction  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem ;  by  the 
carrying  away  of  the  Israelitish  people  into  perpetual  captivity, 
and  of  the  Jewish  nation  to  Babylon  ;  and,  lastly,  by  the  second 
destruction  of  the  temple,  also  of  Jerusalem  at  the  same  time, 
and  the  dispersion  of  that  nation ;  which  consummation  is  fore¬ 
told  in  many  places  in  the  prophets,  and  in  Daniel  ix.  24 — 27. 
The  successive  vastation  of  the  Christian  church,  to  its  final 
period,  is  described  by  the  Lord,  in  Matthew  xxiv.,  Mark  xiii., 
and  Luke  xxi. ;  and  the  consummation  itself  in  the  Apocalypse. 
Hence  it  may  appear  that  in  process  of  time  the  church  de¬ 
creases  and  is  consummated ;  and  that  it  is  the  same  with  reli¬ 
gion.  Secondly,  That  every  religion  decreases  and  is  consum¬ 
mated  by  an  inversion  of  the  image  of  God  in  man.  It  is  well 
known  that  man  was  created  in  the  image  of  God  according  to 
the  likeness  of  God  (Genesis  i.  26) :  it  shall  now  be  explained 
what  an  image  of  God  is,  and  what  a  likeness  of  God.  God 
alone  is  love  and  wisdom ;  and  man  was  created  that  he  might 
be  a  receptacle  of  both, — that  his  will  might  be  a  receptacle  of 
divine  love,  and  his  understanding  a  receptacle  of  divine  wisdom. 
That  these  two  principles  are  in  man  from  creation,  that  they 
constitute  the  man,  and  that  they  are  also  formed  in  every  one 
in  the  womb,  was  shown  above.  Man,  then,  is  an  image  of 
God  by  his  being  a  recipient  of  divine  wisdom,  and  a  likeness 
of  God  by  his  being  a  recipient  of  divine  love;  therefore  the 
receptacle  which  is  called  the  understanding  is  an  image  of  God, 
256 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


328 


and  the  receptacle  which  is  called  the  will  is  a  likeness  of  God  ; 
and  since  man  was  created  and  formed  to  be  a  receptacle,  it 
follows  that  he  was  created  and  formed  that  his  will  might 
receive  love  from  God,  and  his  understanding  wisdom  from 
God.  These  a  man  receives,  when  he  acknowledges  God,  and 
lives  according  to  his  commandments ;  but  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree  in  proportion  as  by  religion  he  knows  God  and  his  com¬ 
mandments,  consequently,  in  proportion  as  he  knows  truths ; 
for  truths  teach  what  God  is  and  how  he  is  to  be  acknowledged, 
aiso  what  his  commandments  are,  and  how  a  man  is  to  live 
according  to  them.  The  image  and  likeness  of  God,  although 
seeminglv,  are  not  actually  destroved  in  man;  for  they  remain 
inherent  in  his  two  faculties  called  liberty  and  rationality,  which 
have  been  abundantly  treated  of  above.  They  became  seem¬ 
ingly  destroyed,  when  he  made  the  receptacle  of  the  divine  love, 
which  is  his  will,  a  receptacle  of  self-love,  and  the  receptacle  of 
the  divine  wisdom,  which  is  his  understanding,  a  receptacle  of 
self-derived  intelligence.  ITe  thereby  inverted  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God  ;  for  he  turned  those  receptacles  away  from  God, 
and  turned  them  to  himself.  Hence  it  is,  that  they  are  closed 
above  and  opened  below,  or  closed  before  and  opened  behind, 
when  nevertheless  by  creation  they  were  open  before  and  closed 
behind  ;  and  when  they  are  thus  inversely  opened  and  closed, 
the  receptacle  of  love,  or  the  will,  receives  influx  from  hell  or 
from  its  proprium,  and  so  also  does  the  receptacle  of  wisdom, 
or  the  understanding.  Hence  arose  in  the  churches  the  worship 
of  men  instead  of  the  worship  of  God,  and  worship  grounded  in 
doctrines  of  falsity  instead  of  that  grounded  in  doctrines  of 
truth, — the  latter  from  self-derived  intelligence,  the  former  from 
self-love.  From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  religion 
in  process  of  time  decreases  and  is  consummated  by  an  inversion 
of  the  image  of  God  in  man.  Thirdly,  That  this  takes  place 
f  rom  a  continual  accumulation  of  hereditary  evil  in  successive 
generations.  It  was  stated  and  shown  above,  that  hereditary 
evil  is  not  from  Adam  and  his  wife  Eve  in  consequence  of  their 
eating  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  but  that  it  is  successively  derived 
from  parents  and  transplanted  into  their  offspring,  thus  by  con¬ 
tinual  additions  is  augmented  from  generation  to  generation. 
When  evil  is  thereby  accumulated  among  many,  it  spreads  and 
extends  itself  to  others  ;  for  in  all  evil  there  is  a  lust  of  seducing, 
which  in  some  is  ardent  in  consequence  of  their  rage  against 
what  is  good  ;  and  thence  proceeds  the  contagion  of  evil.  When 
this  has  invaded  the  dignitaries,  rulers,  and  leading  men  in  the 
church,  religion  is  perverted,  and  the  means  of  cure,  which  are 
truths,  are  corrupted  by  falsifications ;  hence  in  such  case  pro 
ceed  the  successive  vastation  of  good  and  desolation  of  truth  in 
the  church,  until  the  consummation  is  complete.  Fourthly, 
That  nevertheless  it  is  provided  by  the  Lord ,  that  every  one  U 
257 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


828,  329 

capable  of  being  saved.  It  is  provided  by  the  Lord  that  there 
should  be  a  religion  everywhere,  and  that  in  every  religion 
there  should  be  the  two  essentials  of  salvation,  which  consist  in 
acknowledging  a  God,  and  in  not  doing  evil  because  it  is  against 
God.  Other  things  appertaining  to  the  understanding  and 
thence  to  the  thought,  which  are  called  matters  of  faith,  are 
provided  for  every  one  according  to  his  life,  for  they  are  acces¬ 
sories  to  life ;  and  if  they  precede,  still  they  do  not  receive  life 
before.  It  is  also  provided  that  all  who  have  lived  well  and  ac¬ 
knowledged  a  God  should  be  instructed  after  death  by  the  angels ; 
and  then  those  who  have  been  in  these  two  essentials  of  religion 
in  this  world  accept  the  truths  of  the  church,  such  as  they  are 
in  the  Word,  and  acknowledge  the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven 
and  the  church ;  which  doctrine  they  receive  more  readily  than 
Christians  who  have  carried  out  of  the  world  with  them  an  idea 
of  the  Lord’s  humanity  separate  from  his  divinity.  It  is  more¬ 
over  provided  bv  the  Lord,  that  all  who  die  in  their  infancy, 
wherever  they  may  be  born,  should  be  saved.  There  is  also 
given  to  every  man  after  death  an  opportunity  of  amending  his 
life,  if  possible.  All  are  instructed  and  led  of  the  Lord  by 
angels ;  and  as  thev  then  know  that  they  are  living  after  death, 
and  that  there  are  such  places  as  heaven  and  hell,  they  at  first 
receive  truths;  but  those  who  have  not  acknowledged  a  God, 
and  shunned  evils  as  sins  in  this  world,  are  in  a  short  time  after 
disgusted  with  truths,  and  recede  :  those  who  have  acknowledged 
them  with  their  mouths,  and  not  in  their  hearts,  being  like  the 
foolish  virgins,  who  had  lamps,  but  no  oil,  and  sought  oil  of 
others,  and  also  went  and  bought  it,  vet  were  not  admitted  to 
the  marriage.  Lamps  signify  the  truths  of  faith,  and  oil  signifies 
the  good  of  charity.  Hence  it  may  appear,  that  by  the  Divine 
Providence  every  one  is  capable  of  being  saved,  and  that  it  is  a 
man’s  own  fault  if  he  is  not  saved.  Fifthly,  That  it  is  also 
' provided  that  a  New  Cliur eh  should  succeed  in  place  of  the 
former  vcistated  church.  This  has  been  the  case  from  the  most 
ancient  times,  namely,  that  when  a  former  church  was  vastated,  a 
new  one  succeeded.  After  the  most  ancient  church  the  ancient 
church  succeeded ;  after  the  ancient,  the  Israelitish  or  Jewish  ; 
after  that,  the  Christian  church ;  and  that  after  this  last,  a  Hew 
Church  will  succeed  is  foretold  in  the  Apocalypse,  in  which  such 
church  is  signified  by  the  Hew  Jerusalem  desGencling  from 
heaven.  The  reason  why  a  Hew  Church  is  provided  by  the 
Lord  to  succeed  the  former  vastated  church,  may  be  seen  in 
The  Doctrine  of  the  Hew  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Sacred 
Scripture,  n.  101 — 113. 

329.  IV.  That  thus  all  are  predestined  to  heaven ,  and  none 
to  hell.  That  the  Lord  casts  none  into  hell,  but  that  the  spirit 
casts  himself  thither,  is  shown  in  the  work  concerning  Heaven 
and  Hell,  published  in  London  in  the  year  1758,  n.  545 — 550 
258 


THE  DITINE  PROVIDENCE. 


329 


This  is  the  case  with  every  wicked  and  'mpious  person  after 
death,  and  it  is  the  same  with  the  wicked  and  impious  in  this 
world  ;  with  this  diiference,  that  in  tliis  world  they  may  be 
reformed  and  embrace  and  imbibe  the  means  of  salvation,  but 
not  so  after  their  departure  out  of  the  world.  The  means  of 
salvation  relate  to  these  two  things, — the  shunning  of  evils 
because  they  are  contrary  to  the  divine  laws  in  the  Decalogue, 
and  the  acknowledgment  that  there  is  a  God.  This  every  one 
may  do,  provided  he  does  not  love  evils ;  for  the  Lord  Hows 
continually  with  power  into  the  will  that  he  may  be  able  to 
shun  evils,  and  with  power  into  the  understanding  that  he  may 
be  able  to  think  that  there  is  a  God  ;  yet  no  person  can  do  the 
one  without  at  the  same  time  doing  the  other  :  these  two  things 
are  joined  together  like  the  two  tables  of  the  Decalogue :  of 
which  one  is  for  the  Lord,  and  the  other  for  man.  The  Lord 
from  his  table  illuminates  every  one,  and  gives  power ;  but  in 
proportion  as  a  man  does  the  things  which  are  in  his  own  table, 
he  receives  power  and  illumination  :  before  this  the  two  appear 
as  if  they  were  laid  upon  one  another  and  sealed  up ;  but  as  a 
man  does  the  things  which  are  in  his  table,  they  are  disclosed 
and  opened.  What  is  the  Decalogue  at  this  day  but  as  a  book 
that  is  shut,  or  open  only  in  the  hands  of  infants  and  children  ? 
Tell  any  one  who  is  of  an  advanced  a^e,  You  must  not  do  such 
a  thing,  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  Decalogue, — and  who 
attends  to  you  ?  but  if  you  say,  Do  not  such  a  thing,  because  it  is 
contrary  to  th$  divine  laws,  this  he  can  attend  to  ;  and  yet  the 
precepts  of  the  Decalogue  are  the  very  essential  divine  laws. 
An  experiment  was  made  with  several  in  the  spiritual  world, 
who,  when  the  Decalogue  or  catechism  was  repeated,  rejected 
it  with  contempt ;  the  reason  of  which  is,  that  the  Decalogue 
in  its  second  table,  which  is  man’s  table,  teaches  that  evils  are 
to  be  shunned ;  and  he  that  does  not  shun  them,  whether  from 
impiety  or  from  a  religious  notion  that  works  are  of  no  avail, 
but  faith  only,  when  the  Decalogue  or  catechism  is  repeated, 
hears  it  with  some  contempt,  as  though  he  heard  mention  made 
of  some  child's  book,  which  is  no  longer  of  any  use  to  him. 
These  particulars  are  stated  in  order  that  it  may  be  known, 
that  there  is  not  wanting  to  any  man  a  knowledge  of  the  means 
by  which  he  may  be  saved,  or  the  power  of  being  saved  if  he 
will ;  from  which  it  follows,  that  all  are  predestined  for  heaven, 
and  none  for  hell.  As  however  there  prevails  among  some  a 
belief  in  predestination  to  no  salvation,  which  is  damnation, 
and  as  such  a  belief  is  hurtful,  and  cannot  be  dispelled  unless 
reason  also  sees  the  madness  and  cruelty  of  it,  therefore  it  shall 
be  treated  of  in  the  following  series.  1.  That  any  other  pre¬ 
destination  than  predestination  to  heaven,  is  contrary  to  the 
divine  love  and  its  infinity.  2.  That  any  other  predestination 
than  predestination  to  heaven  is  contrary  to  the  divine  wisdom 
259  b 


329,  330 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


and  its  infinity.  3.  That  it  is  an  insane  heresy  to  suppose  that 
those  only  are  saved  who  are  horn  within  the  church.  4.  That 
it  is  a  cruel  heresy  to  suppose  that  any  of  the  human  race  are 
predestined  to  be  damned. 

330.  That  it  may  appear  how  hurtful  is  a  faith  in  predes¬ 
tination,  as  commonly  understood,  these  four  propositions  shall 
be  resumed  and  confirmed.  First,  That  any  other  predestination 
than  predestination  to  heaven ,  is  contrary  to  the  divine  love ,  which 
i~s  infinite.  That  Jehovah,  or  the  Lord,  is  divine  love,  and  that 
the  divine  love  is  infinite,  and  the  esse  of  all  life ;  also,  that  man 
was  created  in  the  image  of  God  according  to  the  likeness  ot 
God,  is  demonstrated  in  the  treatise  concerning  The  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  'Wisdom.  Since  also  every  man  is  formed 
in  the  womb  in  that  image  according  to  that  likeness  by  the 
Lord,  as  is  also  demonstrated,  it  follows,  that  the  Lord  is  the 
heavenly  Father  of  all  men,  and  that  men  are  his  spiritual  children. 
So  is  Jehovah  or  the  Lord  called  in  the  Word,  and  so  are  men 
called  therein;  therefore  he  says,  “  Call  no  man  your  Father 
upon  the  earth  ;  for  one  is  your  Father,  which  is  in  heaven” 
(Matt,  xxiii.  9) ;  by  which  is  meant  that  lie  alone  is  the  Father 
as  to  life,  and  that  an  earthly  father  is  only  such  as  to  the 
covering  of  life,  which  is  the  body.  In  heaven,  therefore,  no 
other  Father  is  made  mention  of  than  the  Lord.  That  men,  who 
do  not  invert  that  life,  are  called  his  sons,  and  said  to  be  born 
of  him,  is  also  evident  from  many  passages  in  the  Word.  Hence 
it  may  appear,  that  the  Divine  Love  is  in  every  man,  the  wicked 
as  well  as  the  good ;  consecpiently,  that  the  Lord  who  is  divine 
love,  cannot  act  any  otherwise  with  them  than  as  a  father  upon 
earth  does  with  his  children,  only  with  infinitely  more  tender- 
ness,  because  the  divine  love  is  infinite ;  also,  that  he  cannot 
recede  from  any  one,  because  the  life  of  every  one  is  from  him. 
It  appears  as  if  he  receded  from  the  wicked,  whereas  it  is  the 
wicked  themselves  who  recede  ;  but  still  out  of  love  he  leads 
them  :  therefore  the  Lord  says,  “  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given 
you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you.  What  man  is  there  of  you,  who  if  his  son  ask  bread, 
will  give  him  a  stone  ?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to 
give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  will  your 
Father  who  is  in  the  heavens  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask 
him?”  (Matt  vii.  7 — 11);  and  in  another  place,  that  “lie 
maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust”  (Matt.  v.  45).  Moreover, 
it  is  well  known  in  the  church  that  the  Lord  desires  the  salvation 
of  all,  and  not  the  death  of  any.  Hence  it  may  be  seen  that 
any  other  predestination  than  predestination  to  heaven  is  contrary 
to  the  divine  love.  Secondly,  That  any  other  predestination 
than  predestination  to  heaven ,  is  contrary  to  the  divine  wisdom , 
which  is  infinite.  The  divine  love  through  its  divine  wisdom 
260 


TIIE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


330 


provides  means  by  which  every  man  may  be  saved ;  therefore 
to  say  that  there  is  any  other  predestination  than  predestination 
to  heaven,  is  to  say  that  it  cannot  provide  means  by  which  salva¬ 
tion  may  be  effected,  when,  nevertheless,  as  was  shown  above, 
all  are  possessed  of  the  means,  and  these  are  from  the  Divine 
Providence,  which  is  infinite.  The  reason  whv  there  are  some 
who  are  not  saved,  is,  because  the  divine  love  desires  that  a 
man  should  feel  in  himself  the  felicity  and  bliss  of  heaven,  for 
otherwise  it  would  be  no  heaven  to  him  ;  and  this  cannot  be 
effected  unless  it  appear  to  him  that  he  thinks  and  wills  from 
himself;  for  without  that  appearance  nothing  could  be  appro¬ 
priated  to  him,  nor  would  he  be  a  man.  For  this  reason  there 
is  a  Divine  Providence,  which  is  of  the  divine  wisdom  from  the 
divine  love.  By  this,  however,  is  not  taken  away  the  truth 
that  all  are  predestined  for  heaven,  and  none  for  hell ;  yet  it 
would  be  taken  away  if  the  means  of  salvation  were  wanting. 
But  it  was  shown  above,  that  the  means  of  salvation  are  pro¬ 
vided  for  every  one,  and  that  heaven  is  of  such  a  nature  that 
all  who  live  well,  of  whatever  religion  they  be,  may  have  a 
place  there.  A  man  is  like  the  earth,  which  produces  all  kinds 
of  fruits,  and  by  virtue  of  which  faculty  earth  is  earth  ;  but  its 
producing  evil  fruit  does  not  take  away  its  power  of  producing 
good  fruit  also,  which  would  be  taken  away,  however,  if  it  could 
only  produce  evil  fruit.  A  man  may  also  be  compared  to  an 
object  which  variegates  the  rays  of  light  in  itself :  if  this  pre¬ 
sents  to  the  eye  disagreeable  colors  only,  it  is  not  the  fault  of 
the  light ;  for  its  rays  may  also  be  variegated  to  produce  pleasing 
colors.  Thirdly,  That  to  suppose  that  those  only  are  served  who 
are  horn  within  the  church  %s  an  insane  heresy.  Those  who  are 
born  without  the  church  are  men  as  well  as  those  who  are  within 
it ;  they  are  of  the  same  heavenly  origin,  and  are  ecpially  living 
and  immortal  souls  ;  they  have  a  religion  by  which  they  acknow¬ 
ledge  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  they  ought  to  live  well ; 
and,  as  was  shown  above,  he  that  acknowledges  a  God  and  lives 
well,  becomes  spiritual  in  his  degree,  and  is  saved.  It  is 
alleged  that  they  are  not  baptized  ;  but  baptism  does  not  save 
any  except  those  who  are  spiritually  washed,  that  is,  regene¬ 
rated  ;  for  baptism  is  a  sign  and  memorial  thereof.  It  is  alleged 
also  that  the  Lord  is  not  known  to  them,  and  that  without  the 
Lord  there  is  no  salvation  ;  yet  no  one  has  salvation  merely  by 
the  Lord’s  being  known  to  him,  but  by  living  according  to  his 
precepts ;  and  the  Lord  is  known  to  every  one  who  acknow¬ 
ledges  a  God,  for  he  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  as  he 
himself  teaches  in  Matt,  xxviii.  18  ;  and  other  places.  Besides, 
those  who  are  without  the  church  have  an  idea  of  God  as  a  man 
more  than  the  Christians  ;  and  those  who  have  this  idea,  and 
live  well,  are  accepted  by  the  Lord,  for  they  acknowledge  God 
to  be  one  in  person  and  in  essence,  which  Christians  do  not 
261 


330,  331 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


They  also  think  of  God  in  their  life  ;  for  they  consider  evils  as 
sins  against  God,  and  those  who  do  this  think  of  God  in  their 
life.  Christians  have  the  precepts  of  their  religion  from  the 
Word  ;  but  there  are  few  who  draw  any  precepts  of  life  from  it. 
The  Papists  do  not  read  it ;  and  those  of  the  Reformed  Church 
who  are  in  faith  separate  from  charity  do  not  attend  to  those 
things  in  it  which  relate  to  life,  but  only  to  those  which  relate 
to  faith,  and  yet  the  whole  Word  is  nothing  else  but  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  life.  Christianity  prevails  only  in  Europe  ;  the  religion 
of  the  Mahometans  and  Gentiles  in  Asia,  the  Indies,  Africa, 
and  America  ;  and  the  human  race  in  the  last-mentioned  parts 
of  the  world  is  ten  times  more  numerous  than  in  the  Christian 
countries,  yet  in  the  latter  there  are  but  few  who  place  religion 
in  a  good  life  :  what  then  can  be  greater  madness  than  to  think 
that  the  latter  only  are  saved,  and  the  former  condemned,  or 
that  a  man  possesses  heaven  by  his  birth,  and  not  by  his  life  ? 
Therefore  the  Lord  says,  u  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall 
come  from  the  east  and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abra¬ 
ham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  the 
children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  out”  (Matt.  viii.  11,  12). 
Fourthly,  That  to  suppose  any  of  the  human  race  are  predes¬ 
tined  to  be  damned  is  a  cruel  heresy.  For  it  is  cruel  to  think 
that  the  Lord,  who  is  love  itself  and  mercy  itself,  would  suffer 
so  vast  a  multitude  of  men  to  be  born  for  hell,  or  that  so  many 
myriads  of  myriads  should  be  born  condemned  and  devoted, 
that  is,  born  devils  and  satans  ;  and  that  he  would  not  out  of 
his  divine  wisdom  provide  that  those  who  live  well  and  acknow¬ 
ledge  a  God  should  not  be  cast  into  everlasting  fire  and  torment. 
The  Lord  is  the  Creator  and  Saviour  of  all ;  He  alone  leads  all, 
and  wills  not  the  death  of  any  one :  therefore  it  is  cruel  to 
think  and  believe  that  so  great  a  multitude  of  nations  and  people 
under  his  auspices  and  inspection  should  be  predestined  to  be 
delivered  as  a  prey  to  the  devil. 


THAT  THE  LORD  CANNOT  ACT  AGAINST  THE  LAWS  OF  THE 
DIVINE  PROVIDENCE,  BECAUSE  TO  ACT  AGAINST  THEM 
WOULD  BE  TO  ACT  AGAINST  HIS  DIVINE  LOVE  AND  HIS 
DIVINE  WISDOM,  CONSEQUENTLY  AGAINST  HIMSELF. 

331.  In  The  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine 
Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom,  it  is  shown  that  the  Lord  is 
divine  love  and  divine  wisdom,  and  that  these  two  principles 
are  the  very  esse  and  life  from  which  every  thing  is  and  lives. 
It  is  shown,  also,  that  the  same  proceed  from  him,  and  that 
this  proceeding  divine  is  Himself.  Among  the  things  which 
proceed  from  him  the  Divine  Providence  is  primary ;  for  this  is 
262 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


331,  332 


continually  in  the  end  for  which  the  universe  was  created.  The 
operation  and  progression  of  the  end  by  its  means  is  what  is 
called  the  Divine  Providence.  Now  as  the  proceeding  divine  is 
himself,  and  the  Divine  Providence  is  the  primary  thing  that 
proceeds,  it  follows,  that  to  act  against  the  lavrs  of  his  Divine 
Providence  is  to  act  against  himself.  It  may  also  be  said  that 
the  Lord  is  Providence,  as  it  is  said  that  God  is  order  ;  for  the 
Divine  Providence  is  the  divine  order  primarily  respecting  the 
salvation  of  men  ;  and  as  there  is  no  order  without  laws,  for 
lawTs  constitute  it,  and  every  law  derives  this  from  order  that 
it  also  is  order,  it  follows,  that  as  God  is  order,  he  is  also  the 
law  of  his  own  order.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Divine 
Providence,  that  as  the  Lord  is  his  own  providence,  he  is  also 
the  law  of  his  own  providence.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  the 
Lord  cannot  act  against  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence,  be¬ 
cause  to  act  against  them  would  be  to  act  against  himself.  Now 
there  can  be  no  operation  but  upon  a  subject,  and  by  means 
operating  upon  that  subject ;  operation,  except  upon  a  subject, 
and  upon  that  by  certain  means,  is  impossible  ;  and  the  subject 
of  the  Divine  Providence  is  man  ;  the  means  are  divine  truths 
whereby  he  has  wisdom,  and  divine  goods  whereby  he  has  love ; 
and  the  Divine  Providence  by  these  means  operates  its  end, 
which  is  man’s  salvation  ;  for  he  that  wills  an  end,  also  wills 
means.  Therefore  when  he  effects  the  end,  he  effects  it  by 
means.  These  particulars,  however,  will  be  made  more  evident 
when  they  are  reviewed  in  the  following  order.  I.  That  the  ope¬ 
ration  of  the  Divine  Providence  in  saving  a  man  begins  at  liis 
birth,  continues  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  afterwards  to  eter¬ 
nity.  II.  That  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  is 
continually  effected  by  means  out  of  pure  mercy.  HI.  That 
momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate  mercy  is  impossible. 
IV.  That  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate  mercy  is  the 
fiery  flying  serpent  in  the  church. 

332.  I.  That  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  in  sav¬ 
ing  a  man  begins  at  his  birth ,  continues  to  the  end  of  his  life ,  and 
afterwards  to  eternity ,  It  was  shown  above  that  a  heaven  out 
of  the  human  race  is  the  very  end  of  the  creation  of  the  uni¬ 
verse  ;  that  this  end  in  its  operation  and  progression  is  the 
Divine  Providence  for  the  salvation  of  men  ;  and  that  all  things 
which  are  without  man  and  serve  for  his  use  are  secondary  ends 
of  creation,  which  in  the  aggregate  have  relation  to  all  things 
that  exist  in  the  three  kingdoms — the  animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral.  When  these  things  constantly  proceed  according  to 
the  laws  of  divine  order  established  at  their  first  creation,  how 
can  the  primary  end,  which  is  the  salvation  of  the  human  race, 
proceed  otherwise  than  constantly  according  to  the  laws  of  its 
order,  which  are  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence  ?  Only  ob¬ 
serve  a  fruit  tree  ;  does  it  not  first  spring  from  a  small  seed  as  a 
263 


332,  333  ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 

tender  germ,  afterwards  grow  successively  into  a  stalk,  spread 
forth  its  branches,  which  are  then  covered  with  leaves,  and  af¬ 
terwards  put  forth  flowers  and  bear  fruit,  wherein  it  deposits 
new  seeds,  by  which  it  provides  for  its  perpetuity  ?  It  is  the 
same  with  every  shrub  and  herb  of  the  held.  Do  not  all  and 
singular  things  therein  constantly  and  wonderfully  proceed  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  laws  of  their  order  from  end  to  end  ?  Why  then 
should  not  the  primary  end,  which  is  a  heaven  out  of  the  human 
race,  do  the  same  ?  Can  any  thing  possibly  take  place  in  its 
progression  which  does  not  most  constantly  proceed  according 
to  the  laws  of  the  Divine  Providence?  As  there  is  a  corre¬ 
spondence  between  the  life  of  a  man  and  the  vegetation  of  a 
tree,  draw  a  parallel  or  comparison.  A  man’s  infancy  may  be 
compared  to  the  tender  germ  of  a  tree  springing  out  of  the 
earth  from  the  seed ;  his  childhood  and  youth,  to  that  germ  in¬ 
creasing  to  a  stem  and  branches  ;  natural  truths,  which  every 
man  first  imbibes,  to  the  leaves  with  which  its  branches  are 
covered,  leaves  having  no  other  signification  in  the  Word  ;  a 
man’s  initiation  into  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth,  or  the 
spiritual  marriage,  to  the  flowers  which  that  tree  produces  in 
.the  spring-time,  spiritual  truths  being  the  small  leaves  of  those 
flowers  ;  the  first-fruits  of  the  spiritual  marriage,  to  the  begin¬ 
nings  of  the  fruit ;  spiritual  goods,  which  are  the  goods  of 
charity,  to  the  fruit,  being  also  signified  by  fruit  in  the  Word ; 
the  procreations  of  wisdom  from  love,  to  the  seeds,  by  means  of 
which  procreations  a  man  becomes  like  a  garden  and  a  paradise. 
A  man  is  also  described  in  the  Word  by  a  tree,  and  his  wisdom 
from  love  by  a  garden.  Nothing  else  is  signified  by  the  garden 
of  Eden.  A  man  indeed  is  an  evil  tree  from  the  seed  ;  but  vet 
there  is  provided  an  ingrafting  or  inoculation  of  branches  taken 
from  the  tree  of  life,  by  which  the  juices  drawn  from  the  old 
root  are  converted  into  such  as  produce  good  fruit.  This  com¬ 
parison  is  made,  in  order  that  it  may  be  known  that  when  there 
is  so  constant  a  progression  of  the  Divine  Providence  in  the 
vegetation  and  regeneration  of  trees,  it  must  by  all  means  be 
constant  in  the  reformation  and  regeneration  of  men,  who  are 
of  much  more  value  than  trees,  according  to  these  words  of  the 
Lord :  u  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not 
one  of  them  is  forgotten  before  God  ?  but  even  the  very  hairs 
of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore  :  ye  are  of 
more  value  than  many  sparrows.  And  which  of  you  with  tak¬ 
ing  thought  can  add  to  his  stature  one  cubit  ?  If  ye  then  be 
not  able  to  do  that  thing  which  is  least,  why  take  ye  thought 
for  the  rest  ?  Consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow.  If  God  so 
clothe  the  grass,  which  is  to-day  in  the  field,  and  to-morrow  is 
cast  into  the  oven,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you,  O  ye  of 
little  faith  ?”  (Luke  xii.  6,  7,  25 — 28.) 

333.  It  was  said  above  that  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Pro 
261 


THE  DITINE  PROVIDENCE. 


333,  331 


vidence  in  saving  a  man  begins  at  his  birth,  and  continues  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  That  this  may  be  understood,  it  is  tu  be 
observed,  that  the  Lord  sees  what  a  man  is,  and  foresees  what 
he  desires  to  be,  consequently  what  he  will  be  ;  and  in  order 
that  he  may  be  a  man,  and  thereby  immortal,  the  freedom  of 
his  will  cannot  be  taken  away,  as  has  been  abundantly  shown 
above ;  therefore  the  Lord  foresees  his  state  after  death,  and 
provides  for  it  from  his  birth  to  the  end  of  his  life  ;  with  the 
wicked  he  provides  by  permitting  and  continually  withdrawing 
them  from  evils  ;  with  the  good  he  provides  by  leading  them  to 
good.  Thus  the  Divine  Providence  is  continually  in  the  opera¬ 
tion  of  savins;  men  ;  but  more  cannot  be  saved  than  desire  to  be 
saved.  Those  who  acknowledge  God,  and  are  led  by  him,  de¬ 
sire  to  be  saved ;  and  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  God,  but 


guide  themselves,  do  not  desire  to  be  saved  :  for  the  latter  do 
not  think  of  eternal  life  and  salvation,  but  the  former  do.  This 
the  Lord  sees,  but  still  he  leads  them,  and  leads  them  according 
to  the  laws  of  his  Divine  Providence,  against  which  he  cannot 
act,  because  to  act  against  them  would  be  to  act  against  his 
divine  love  and  divine  wisdom,  that  is,  to  act  against  himself, 
blow  as  he  foresees  the  state  of  all  after  death,  and  also  foresees 
the  places  of  those  who  are  not  willing  to  be  saved,  in  hell,  and 
the  places  of  those  who  are  willing  to  be  saved,  in  heaven,  it 
follows,  as  before  said,  that  he  provides  for  the  wicked  their 
places  by  permitting  and  withdrawing,  and  for  the  good  them 
places  by  leading  them  ;  and  unless  this  were  done  continually 
from  the  birth  of  every  one  to  his  life’s  end,  neither  heaven  nor 
hell  could  subsist ;  for  without  such  foresight  and  at  the  same 
time  providence,  both  heaven  and  hell  would  be  nothing  but 
confusion.  That  every  one  has  his  place  provided  for  him  by 
means  of  the  Lord’s  foreknowledge,  may  be  seen  above,  n.  202, 
203.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  comparison  : 
Supposing  an  archer  or  marksman  were  to  shoot  at  a  mark,  and 
a  right  line  were  drawn  from  the  mark  to  the  distance  of  a  mile 
beyond  it, — if  in  shooting,  the  arrow  or  ball  were  to  miss  the 

t /  /  O ' 


mark  a  nail’s  breadth  only,  it  would,  at  the  end  of  the  mile, 
diverge  immensely  from  the  line  drawn  beyond  the  mark.  Such 
would  be  the  case  if  the  Lord  did  not  every  moment,  even  the 
most  minute  point  of  time,  have  respect  to  eternity  in  foreseeing 
and  providing  every  one  his  place  after  death  :  this,  however,  is 
done  by  the  Lord,  because  all  the  future  is  present  to  him,  and 
all  the  present  is  to  him  eternal.  That  the  Divine  Providence, 
in  all  it  does,  has  respect  to  infinity  and  eternity,  may  be  seen 
above,  n.  T 6 — 69,  21T,  and  the  subsequent  numbers. 

33L  It  was  said  that  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence 
continues  to  eternity,  because  every  angel  is  perfected  in  wis¬ 
dom  to  eternity ;  but  every  one  according  to  the  degree  of  af- 
fection  for  goodness  and  truth  he  was  in  when  he  departed  out 
265 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


331,  335 

of  the  world.  It  is  this  degree  which  is  perfected  to  eternity. 
What  is  beyond  this  degree  is  without  the  angel,  and  not  within 
him  ;  and  that  which  is  without  him  cannot  be  perfected  within 
him.  This  is  meant  by  the  good  measure,  pressed  down,  shaken, 
and  running  over,  which  shall  be  given  into  the  bosom  of  those 
who  give  and  forgive  others  (Luke  vii.,  37,  3S),  that  is,  who  are 
in  the  good  of  charity. 

335.  II.  That  the  operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  is  con¬ 
tinually  effected  hy  means  which  are  out  of  pure  mercy.  There 
are  means  and  modes  of  the  Divine  Providence :  means  are  all 
those  things  by  virtue  of  which  a  man  is  made  a  man,  and  per¬ 
fected  with  respect  to  his  understanding  and  his  will ;  modes 
are  those  things  by  which  such  means  are  effected.  The  means 
by  virtue  of  which  a  man  is  made  a  man,  and  perfected  with 
respect  to  his  understanding,  are  included  under  the  general 
appellation  of  truths,  which  become  ideas  in  the  thought,  are 
called  things  in  the  memory,  and  are  in  themselves  knowledges 
from  which  sciences  are  derived.  All  these  means  considered 
in  themselves  are  spiritual ;  but  as  they  exist  in  things  natural, 
they  appear  from  their  clothing  or  covering  as  natural  things, 
and  some  as  material.  They  are  infinite  in  number  and  variety, 
and  are  more  or  less  simple  and  compound,  and  more  or  less 
perfect  or  imperfect.  There  are  means  for  forming  and  per¬ 
fecting  civil  natural  life  ;  also  for  forming  and  perfecting  moral 
rational  life  ;  and  for  forming  and  perfecting  spiritual  celestial 
life.  These  means  succeed,  one  kind  after  another,  from  in¬ 
fancy  to  a  man’s  latest  age,  and  after  that  to  eternity ;  and  as 
they  succeed,  by  increasing,  those  which  were  prior  become 
means  of  those  which  are  posterior,  since  they  enter  into  every 
thing  that  has  a  form  as  mediate  causes  ;  for  from  these  every 
effect  or  conclusion  is  efficient,  and  thence  becomes  a  cause. 
Thus  posteriors  successively  become  means ;  and  as  this  goes  on 
to  eternity,  there  is  no  postreme  or  ultimate  that  closes  the 
whole ;  for  as  eternity  is  without  end,  so  wisdom,  which  in¬ 
creases  to  eternity,  is  also  without  end.  If  there  were  any  end 
to  wisdom  in  a  wise  man,  the  delight  of  his  wisdom,  which  con¬ 
sists  in  its  perpetual  multiplication  and  fructification,  would 
perish  ;  so  would  also  the  delight  of  his  life ;  and  in  place  of  it 
would  succeed  the  delight  of  glory,  in  which  alone  there  is  no 
celestial  life.  In  such  case  a  man  no  longer  becomes  wise  like 
a  young  man,  but  like  an  old  man,  and  at  length  like  a  decrepit 
man.  Although  the  wisdom  of  a  wise  man  in  heaven  increases 
to  eternity,  yet  there  is  no  such  approximation  of  angelic  wisdom 
to  the  divine  wisdom  as  to  reach  it.  It  may  be  illustrated  by 
what  is  said  of  a  right  line  drawn  about  an  hyperbola,  continu¬ 
ally  approaching,  but  never  touching  it ;  and  by  what  is  said  of 
squaring  the  circle.  Hence  may  appear  what  is  meant  by 
means  by  which  the  Divine  Providence  operates,  that  a  man 
266" 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


335 — 33S 


mav  be  a  man,  ancl  be  perfected  in  regard  to  bis  understanding, 
and  that  these  means  are  included  under  the  general  appellation 
'  of  truths.  There  is  also  a  similar  number  of  means,  by  which 
a  man  is  formed  and  perfected  in  regard  to  his  will ;  but  these 
are  comprehended  under  the  general  appellation  of  goods. 
From  the  latter  a  man  derives  love,  and  from  the  former  wis¬ 
dom.  The  conjunction  of  them  makes  the  man  ;  for  such  as  is 
the  conjunction  such  is  the  man.  It  is  this  conjunction  which 
is  called  the  marriage  of  goodness  and  truth. 

336.  The  modes  also  by  which  the  Divine  Providence  ope¬ 
rates  upon  means  and  by  means,  in  forming  a  man  and  perfect¬ 
ing  him,  are  also  infinite  in  number  and  variety.  They  are  as 
numerous  as  the  operations  of  the  divine  wisdom  from  the  divine 
love  for  the  salvation  of  man,  consequently  as  numerous  as  the 
operations  of  the  Divine  Providence  according  to  its  laws  above 
described.  That  these  modes  are  of  a  very  hidden  nature  was 
illustrated  above  by  the  operations  of  the  soul  upon  the  body, 
concerning  which  men  know  so  little  that  it  can  scarcely  be 
called  any  thing ;  as,  how  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  nose,  the  tongue, 
and  the  skin  feel,  how  the  stomach  digests,  the  mesentery  pre¬ 
pares  the  chyle,  the  liver  elaborates  the  blood,  the  pancreas  and 
spleen  purify  it,  the  kidneys  separate  impure  humours  from  it, 
the  heart  collects  and  distributes  it,  the  lungs  decant  it,  and  how 
the  brain  sublimates  the  blood  and  vivifies  it  anew,  besides  in¬ 
numerable  other  things,  all  of  which  are  arcana  into  which  scarce 
anv  science  can  enter.  It  is  therefore  evident,  that  still  less  can 
the  secret  operations  of  the  Divine  Providence  be  entered  into ; 
it  is  sufficient  that  its  laws  are  known. 

337.  The  reason  why  the  Divine  Providence  effects  all  things 
out  of  pure  mercy,  is,  because  the  divine  essence  itself  is  pure 
love :  it  is  that  which  operates  by  the  divine  wisdom ;  and  that 
operation  is  what  is  called  the  Divine  Providence.  The  reason 
why  that  pure  love  is  pure  mercy,  is,  1.  That  it  operates  with 
all  who  are  in  the  world,  who  are  such  that  they  can  do  nothing 
from  themselves.  2.  That  it  operates  with  the  evil  and  unjust, 
as  well  as  with  the  good  and  just.  3.  That  it  leads  the  former 
in  hell,  and  snatches  them  out  of  it.  4.  That  it  continually 
strives  with  them  there,  and  fights  for  them  against  the  devil, 
that  is,  against  the  evils  of  hell.  5.  That  for  this  purpose  it 
came  into  the  world,  and  underwent  temptations  even  to  the  last 
of  them,  which  was  the  passion  of  the  cross.  6.  That  it  acts 
continually  with  the  unclean  that  it  may  cleanse  them,  and  with 
the  insane  that  it  may  heal  them  ;  consequently,  it  labours  con- 
tinuallv  out  of  pure  mercy. 

338.  III.  That  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate 
mercy  is  impossible.  In  the  foregoing  pages  it  is  shown  that  the 
operation  of  the  Divine  Providence  for  the  salvation  of  man 
begins  at  his  birth,  continues  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  after- 

267 


338 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


wards  to  eternity ;  also,  that  this  operation  is  continually  carried 
on  by  means  out  of  pure  mercy :  hence  it  follows,  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  momentaneous  salvation  or  immediate  mercy. 
But  as  many,  who  do  not  think  at  all  from  the  understanding 
concerning  matters  of  the  church  or  of  religion,  believe  that  they 
are  saved  from  immediate  mercy,  consequently  that  salvation 
is  momentaneous,  and  yet  this  is  contrary  to  the  truth,  and  is 
besides  a  hurtful  belief,  it  is  requisite  that  it  should  be  considered 
in  its  proper  order.  1.  That  a  belief  in  momentaneous  salvation 
from  immediate  mercy  is  taken  from  the  natural  state  of  man. 
2.  That  such  a  belief  proceeds  from  ignorance  of  his  spiritual 
state,  which  is  totally  different  from  his  natural  state.  3.  That 
the  doctrines  of  all  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world  con¬ 
sidered  interiorlv  are  against  momentaneous  salvation  from 
immediate  mercy ;  but  yet  that  it  is  established  by  men  of  the 
external  church.  First,  That  a  belief  in  momentaneous  salva¬ 
tion  from  immediate  mercy  is  taken  from  the  natural  state  of 
man.  The  natural  man  from  his  own  state  knows  no  otherwise 
than  that  heavenly  joy  is  like  worldly  joy,  and  enters  by  influx 
and  is  received  in  the  same  manner ;  for  example,  that  it  is  like 
a  man  who  had  been  poor  becoming  rich,  and  so  being  removed 
from  a  sorrowful  state  of  poverty  to  a  happy  state  of  opulence  ; 
or  like  a  man  who  had  before  been  of  no  estimation,  being 
honoured,  and  so  being  removed  from  a  state  of  contempt  to  a 
state  of  glory ;  or  like  going  out  of  the  house  of  mourning  to 
nuptial  joys.  Since  these  states  can  be  changed  within  a  day, 
and  no  other  idea  is  entertained  of  the  state  of  man  after  death, 
it  is  evident  whence  it  arises  that  there  is  a  belief  in  momenta¬ 
neous  salvation  from  immediate  mercy.  In  the  world,  also, 
it  is  possible  for  many  persons  to  be  in  one  company,  in  one 
civil  society,  and  to  be  merry  together,  yet  alBof  them  to  differ 
in  their  minds.  This  is  the  case  in  a  natural  state  ;  and  the 
reason  is,  that  the  external  of  one  man  may  be  accommodated 
to  the  external  of  another,  although  their  internals  be  dissimilar. 
From  this  natural  state  it  is  concluded,  that  salvation  consists 
only  in  admission  to  the  angels  in  heaven,  and  the  admission 
is  from  immediate  mercy ;  therefore  it  is  also  believed  that 
heaven  can  be  given  to  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  and  that 
then  there  is  a  consociation  similar  to  what  takes  place  in  the 
world,  with  this  difference  only,  that  it  is  full  of  joy.  Secondly, 
But  that  this  faith  proceeds  from  ignorance  of  a  spiritual  state , 
which  is  totally  different  from  a  natural  stcde.  The  spiritual 
state,  which  is  the  state  of  man  after  death,  is  treated  of  in 
many  places  above,  where  it  is  shown  that  every  one  is  his  own 
love,  that  no  one  can  live  with  any  others  but  such  as  are  in  a 
similar  love,  and  that  if  he  comes  to  others,  he  cannot  respire 
his  own  life.  Hence  it  is  that  every  one  after  death  enters  into 
a  society  similar  to  himself,  composed  of  such  as  are  in  a  similar 
268 


THE  I)  I  YEN  E  PROVIDENCE. 


338 


love  ;  that  lie  acknowledges  them  as  his  relatives  and  friends  ; 
and,  what  is  wonderful,  that  when  he  meets  with  them  and 
sees  them,  it  is  as  though  he  had  known  them  from  his  infancv. 
This  circumstance  has  its  ground  in  the  nature  of  spiritual 
affinity  and  friendship.  Yea  more,  no  one  in  a  society  can  dwell 
in  any  other  house  than  his  own ;  every  one  having  his  own 
house,  which  he  finds  prepared  for  him  as  soon  as  he  comes  into 
the  society.  He  may  be  in  company  with  others  out  of  his  house, 
but  yet  he  cannot  dwell  anywhere  but  in  it ;  and  what  is  still 
more,  no  one  can  sit  in  an  apartment  in  another's  house  in  any 
place  but  his  own  :  if  he  sits  in  any  other  place,  he  becomes 
impotent  of  mind  and  silent ;  and,  what  is  wonderful,  every  one 
when  he  enters  a  room  knows  his  own  place.  It  is  the  same 
in  temples,  and  also  in  assemblies  when  they  are  met  together. 
From  these  circumstances  it  is  evident  that  a  spiritual  state  is 
totally  different  from  a  natural  state,  and  such  indeed  that  no 
one  can  be  anywhere  but  where  his  reigning  love  is  ;  for  there 
is  the  delight  of  his  life,  and  every  one  desires  to  be  in  the 
delight  of  his  life.  A  man's  spirit  cannot  be  anywhere  else, 
because  that  constitutes  his  life,  even  his  very  respiration,  as 
also  the  pulsation  of  his  heart.  It  is  otherwise  in  the  natural 
world,  where  the  external  man  is  taught  from  his  infancy  to 
feign,  in  his  countenance,  speech,  and  gesture,  delights  different 
from  those  of  his  internal.  Therefore,  from  the  state  of  a  man 
in  the  natural  world,  a  conclusion  cannot  be  formed  concerning 
his  state  after  death  ;  for  the  state  of  every  one  after  death  is 
spiritual,  and  is  such  that  he  cannot  be  anywhere  but  in  the 
delight  of  his  love,  which  he  acquired  to  himself  by  his  life  in 
the  natural  world.  Hence  it  may  plainly  appear,  that  no  one 
who  is  in  the  delight  of  hell  can  be  let  into  the  delight  of  heaven, 
which  in  general  is  called  heavenly  joy ;  or,  what  amounts  to 
the  same,  he  that  is  already  in  the  delight  of  evil  cannot  be  let 
into  the  delight  of  good.  It  may  be  still  more  clearly  concluded 
from  this  circumstance  that  the  liberty  of  ascending  into  heaven  is 
not  refused  anv  one  after  death :  the  way  is  shown  him,  leave  is 
given,  and  he  is  introduced ;  but  when  he  comes  into  heaven,  and 
by  breathing  draws  in  its  delight,  if  he  be  in  evil,  he  begins  to  feel 
anguish  in  his  breast,  to  be  tormented  at  heart,  to  experience 
a  swoon,  in  which  he  writhes  himself  like  a  snake  placed  before 
the  fire,  and  with  his  face  averted  from  heaven  and  turned  toward 
hell,  escapes  headlong ;  and  he  cannot  rest  except  in  a  society  ot 
his  own  prevailing  love.  Hence  it  may  appear  that  to  go  to 
heaven  is  not  allowed  to  any  one  from  immediate  mercy,  conse¬ 
quently,  that  it  does  not  consist  of  admission  merely,  as  many  in 
this  world  imagine  ;  and  that  salvation  is  not  momentaneous, 
for  this  supposes  immediate  mercy.  There  were  some,  who  in  the 
world  believed  in  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate  mer¬ 
cy,  and  when  they  became  spirits  were  desirous  that  their  infer- 
269 


3  38 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


nal  delight  or  the  delight  of  evil  might,  by  means  of  the  divine 
omnipotence  and  the  divine  mercy  together,  be  changed  into 
heavenly  delight,  or  the  delight  of  good ;  and  as  this  was  their 
desire,  it  was  permitted  that  it  should  be  done  by  angels,  who 
instantly  removed  their  infernal  delight :  but  then,  because  it 
was  the  delight  of  their  life’s  love,  consequently  their  life  itself, 
they  lay  as  if  they  were  dead,  deprived  of  all  sense  and  motion  : 
and  it  was  impossible  to  infuse  into  them  any  other  life  than 
their  own,  because  all  things  of  their  minds  and  bodies  were  in 
a  state  of  retroversion,  and  could  not  be  contrariwise  retorted 
or  wrested.  They  were  therefore  revived  by  the  intromission  of 
the  delight  of  their  life’s  love ;  and  they  afterwards  said,  that 
in  that  state  they  felt  interiorly  something  direful  and  horrible, 
which  they  would  not  make  known.  Hence  it  is  said  in  heaven, 
that  it  is  easier  to  convert  an  owl  into  a  dove,  or  a  serpent  into 
a  lamb,  than  an  infernal  spirit  into  an  angel  of  heaven. 
Thirdly,  That  the  doctrines  of  the  churches  in  the  Christian 
world  interiorly  considered  are  against  momentaneous  salvation 
from  immediate  mercy ,  but  yet  that  it  is  established  by  men  of  the 
external  church.  The  doctrines  of  all  churches,  viewed  inte¬ 
riorly,  teach  life.  Where  is  there  any  church  whose  doctrine 
does  not  teach  that  a  man  ought  to  examine  himself ;  to  see 
and  acknowledge  his  sins  ;  to  confess  them,  repent,  and  then 
lead  a  new  life  ?  Who  is  admitted  to  the  holy  communion 
without  this  admonition  and  command  ?  Inquire,  and  you  will 
be  confirmed.  What  church  is  there  whose  doctrine  is  not 
founded  upon  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue  ?  and  the  precepts 
of  the  Decalogue  are  precepts  of  life.  What  man  is  there  of 
the  church,  in  whom  there  is  any  thing  of  the  church,  that 
does  not  acknowledge,  as  soon  as  he  hears  it,  that  he  that  lives 
well  is  saved,  and  that  he  that  lives  wickedly  is  condemned  ? 
Therefore  in  the  Athanasian  Creed,  which  is  also  the  doctrine 
received  in  the  whole  Christian  world,  it  is  said,  that  the  Lord 
will  “  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  ;  and  those  that 
have  done  good  shall  go  into  life  everlasting,  and  those  that 
have  done  evil  into  everlasting  fire.”  Lrom  which  it  is  evident 
that  the  doctrines  of  all  churches,  viewed  interiorly,  teach  life. 
As  they  teach  life,  they  teach  that  salvation  is  according  to  life ; 
and  a  man’s  life  is  not  inspired  in  a  moment,  but  formed  suc¬ 
cessively,  and  reformed  as  a  man  shuns  evils  as  sins,  conse¬ 
quently,  as  he  knows  what  sin  is  and  sees  and  acknowledges  it, 
as  he  does  not  will  it  and  therefore  desists  from  it,  and  as  he 
also  knows  the  means  which  relate  to  the  knowledge  of  God. 
By  these,  which  cannot  be  infused  in  a  moment,  a  man’s  life  is 
formed  and  reformed  ;  for  hereditary  evil,  which  in  itself  is 
infernal,  is  to  be  removed,  and  in  place  of  it,  good,  which  in 
itself  is  celestial,  is  to  be  implanted.  A  man,  from  his  here¬ 
ditary  evil  may  be  compared  to  an  owl  as  to  understanding, 
270 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


33S— -340 


a  id  a  serpent  as  to  will ;  and  a  reformed  man  may  be  compared 
to  a  dove  as  to  understanding,  and  a  lamb  as  to  will :  therefore 
momentaneous  reformation  and  thence  salvation  may  be  com- 
pared  to  the  momentaneous  conversion  of  an  owl  into  a  dove 
and  a  serpent  into  a  lamb.  W ho  that  knows  any  thing  of  the 
life  of  man  does  not  see  that  this  cannot  be  effected,  except 
the  nature  of  the  owl  and  serpent  be  taken  away,  and  the 
nature  of  the  dove  and  lamb  be  implanted  ?  Besides,  it  is  well 
known  that  every  intelligent  man  may  become  more  intelligent, 
and  every  wise  man  more  wise ;  that  intelligence  and  wisdom 
in  a  man  may  increase,  and  in  some  do  increase,  from  infancy 
to  their  life’s  end ;  and  that  thus  the  man  is  continually  per¬ 
fected.  Why  should  not  this  be  more  eminently  the  case  with 

l  V 


Who  may  not  compre- 
to  eternity  cannot  pos* 


spiritual  intelligence  and  wisdom,  which  ascends  by  two  degrees 
above  natural  intelligence  and  wisdom?  When  it  ascends,  it 
becomes  angelic,  which  is  unutterable  :  that  this  in  the  angels 
increases  to  eternity  was  stated  above, 
hend,  if  he  will,  that  what  is  perfected 
sibly  be  perfect  in  an  instant  ? 

339.  Hence  then  it  is  evident,  that  all  who  think  from  life 
concerning  salvation,  do  not  think  of  any  momentaneous  salva¬ 
tion  from  immediate  mercy,  but  of  the  means  of  salvation,  on 
and  by  which  the  Lord  operates  according  to  the  laws  of  his 
Divine  Providence,  and  by  which  therefore  every  man  is  led  out 
of  pure  mercy  bv  the  Lord.  But  those  who  do  not  think  from 
life  concerning  salvation,  imagine  there  is  something  momenta- 
neous  m  salvation,  and  something  immediate  in  mercy  ;  as  also 
do  those  who  separate  faith  from  charity.  Charity  is  life,  and 
they  suppose  there  is  something  momentaneous  in  faith  at  the 
hour  of  death,  if  not  before.  Those  also  do  the  same  who  be¬ 
lieve  remission  of  sins  without  repentance  to  be  absolution  from 
sins,  consequently  salvation,  and  who  with  this  idea  receive  the 
Lord’s  Supper ;  likewise  those  who  have  faith  in  the  indulgences 
of  monks,  in  their  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  in  their  dispensa¬ 
tions  grounded  in  the  power  they  claim  over  the  souls  of  men. 

340.  IV.  That  momentaneous  salvation  from  immediate 
mercy  is  the  fiery  flying  serpent  in  the  church.  By  a  fiery  flying 
serpent  is  meant  evil  shining  from  infernal  fire  :  the  same  as  is 
meant  by  the  fiery  flying  serpent  in  Isaiah,  “Bejoice  not  thou, 
whole  Palestina,  because  the  rod  of  him  that  smote  thee  is  broken  : 
for  out  of  the  serpent’s  root  shall  come  forth  a  cockatrice,  and 
his  fruit  shall  be  a  fiery  flying  serpent”  (xiv.  29).  Such  an  evil 
flies  in  the  church  when  there  is  faith  in  momentaneous  salva¬ 
tion  from  immediate  mercy;  for  thereby,  1.  Beligion  is  abol- 
ished  ;  2.  Security  is  induced  ;  and  3.  Damnation  is  imputed  to 
the  Lord.  As  to  what  concerns  the  First,  That  thereby  religion 
is  abolished  •  there  are  two  essentials  and  at  the  same  time  univer¬ 
sal  of  religion,  an  acknowledgment  of  a  God  and  repentance. 

271 


340 


ANGELIC  WISDOM  CONCERNING 


These  two  essentials  are  useless  to  those  who  think  to  be  saved 
barely  from  mercy,  without  regard  to  their  lives ;  for  what 
need  have  they  of  any  thing  more  than  to  say,  God  have  mercy 
upon  me?  As  to  every  thing  else  appertaining  to  religion, 
they  are  in  the  dark,  indeed  they  love  darkness.  Of  the  first 
essential  of  the  church,  which  is  an  acknowledgment  of  God, 
they  only  think,  What  is  God  ?  Who  ever  sawT  him  ?  If  it  is 
affirmed  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  is  one,  they  assent 
that  he  is  one  ;  if  it  is  affirmed  that  there  are  three,  they  also 
say  that  there  are  three,  but  that  these  three  are  to  be  called 
one.  This  is  their  acknowledgment  of  God.  Of  the  other 
essential  of  the  church,  which  is  repentance,  they  think  nothing 
at  all,  and  consequently  nothing  of  sin,  and  at  length  do  not 
know  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  sin.  They  then  hear,  and 
imbibe  it  with  pleasure,  that  the  law  does  not  condemn,  because 
a  Christian  is  not  under  its  yoke.  If  you  only  say,  God  have 
mercy  upon  me  for  thy  Son’s  sake,  you  will  be  saved.  This  is 
repentance  of  life  with  them.  But  remove  repentance,  or,  what 
amounts  to  the  same,  separate  life  from  religion,  and  wThat  re¬ 
mains  but  the  words,  Have  mercy  upon  me  ?  Hence  it  is,  that 
they  cannot  conceive  otherwise  but  that  salvation  is  effected  in 
a  moment  by  means  of  those  w'ords,  if  not  before,  yet  at  the 
hour  of  death.  In  such  case,  what  is  the  Word  to  them  but 
like  an  obscure  and  enigmatical  voice  uttered  from  a  tripod  in  a 
cave?  or  like  an  unintelligible  response  from  the  oracle  of  an 
idol  ?  In  a  word,  if  you  remove  repentance,  that  is,  separate 
life  from  religion,  what  else  is  a  man  but  evil  shining  from  in¬ 
fernal  fire,  or  a  fiery  fiying  serpent  in  the  church  ?  for  without 
lepentance  a  man  is  in  evil,  and  evil  is  hell.  Secondly,  That 
by  faith  in  momentaneous  salvation  from  pure  mercy  alone ,  secu¬ 
rity  of  life  is  induced.  Security  of  life  arises  either  from  the 
belief  of  the  impious  that  there  is  no  life  after  death,  or  from 
the  belief  of  those  who  separate  life  from  salvation.  A  person 
of  the  latter  description,  although  he  believe  in  eternal  life, 
still  thinks,  Whether  I  live  well,  or  live  ill,  I  can  be  saved,  be¬ 
cause  salvation  is  pure  mercy,  and  the  mercy  of  God  is  univer¬ 
sal,  as  he  wills  not  the  death  of  any  one.  If  haply  a  thought 
occurs  that  mercy  is  to  be  implored  by  a  form  of  words  agree¬ 
able  to  the  commonly  received  faith,  he  may  think  that  this,  if 
not  before,  can  be  done  at  the  hour  of  death.  Every  man  that 
is  in  such  a  state  of  security  makes  light  of  adulteries,  frauds, 
injustice,  violence,  blasphemies,  and  revenge  ;  and  gives  a  loose 
to  his  fiesh  and  his  spirit  in  the  commission  of  all  these  evils. 
Nor  does  he  know  what  spiritual  evil  is,  and  its  concupiscences. 
If  he  hears  any  thing  thereof  out  of  the  Word,  it  may  be  com¬ 
pared  to  something  falling  upon  ebony  and  rebounding,  or  to 
something  which  falls  into  a  ditch  and  is  swallowed  up.  Thirdly, 
That  by  such  a  faith  damnation  is  imputed  to  the  Lord.  Who  but 
272 


TIIE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


340 


must  conclude  that,  if  he  is  not  saved,  it  is  not  the  man’s  fault, 
but  the  Lord’s,  when  every  one  can  be  saved  from  pure  mercy  ? 
If  it  be  affirmed  that  faith  is  the  means  of  salvation,  he  will 
urge,  What  man  is  there  to  whom  such  faith  may  not  be  given, 
as  it  only  consists  in  thought,  which  can  be  infused  in  every 
state  of  the  spirit  abstracted  from  worldly  things,  even  with 
confidence?  He  may  further  urge,  I  cannot  take  it  of  myself; 
if  therefore  it  is  not  given,  and  a  man  is  damned,  what  else  can 
the  damned  think  than  that  it  is  the  Lord’s  fault,  who  could 
save  him  and  would  not?  And  would  not  this  be  to  call  the 
Lord  unmerciful  ?  Besides,  in  the  warmth  of  his  faith,  he  may 
ask,  Why  can  the  Lord  see  so  many  damned  in  hell,  when  he 
is  nevertheless  able  to  save  all  in  a  moment  from  a  principle  of 
pure  mercy  ?  Hot  to  mention  other  suggestions  of  a  similar 
nature,  which  can  be  called  nothing  but  impious  impeachments 
of  the  Divinity.  Hence  then  it  may  appear,  that  faith  in  mo- 
mentaneous  salvation  from  pure  mercy  is  the  fiery  flying  serpent 
in  the  church. 


*  *  *  *  *  *  •* 


Excuse  my  adding  this  relation  to  fill  up  the  superfluous 
paper.  Certain  spirits  by  permission  ascended  from  hell,  and 
said  to  me,  You  have  written  a  great  deal  from  the  Lord,  write 
something  also  from  us.  I  replied,  What  shall  I  write  ?  They 
said,  Write,  that  every  spirit,  whether  he  be  good  or  evil,  is  in 
his  own  delight, — the  good  in  the  delight  of  his  good,  and  the 
evil  in  the  delight  of  his  evil.  I  asked  them,  What  may  your 
delight  be  ?  They  said  that  it  wTas  the  delight  of  committing 
adultery,  stealing,  defrauding,  and  lying.  Again  I  asked, 
What  is  the  nature  of  those  delights?  They  replied,  that  they 
were  perceived  by  others  as  stenches  from  excrement,  putrid 
smells  from  dead  bodies,  and  the  effluvia  of  stagnated  urine. 
I  said,  Are  those  things  delightful  to  you  ?  They  replied,  Most 
delightful.  I  said,  Then  you  are  like  the  unclean  beasts  which 
live  in  such  filth.  They  answered,  If  we  are,  we  are  ;  but  such 
things  are  the  delights  of  our  nostrils.  I  asked,  What  more 
shall  I  write  from  you?  They  said,  W rite  this,  that  it  is  per¬ 
mitted  every  one  to  be  in  his  own  delight,  even  the  most  unclean 
as  it  is  called,  provided  it  does  not  infest  good  spirits  and  angels  ; 
but  as  we  could  not  do  otherwise  than  infest  them,  we  were 
driven  out,  and  cast  into  hell,  where  we  experience  direful 
sufferings.  I  asked,  Why  did  you  infest  the  good  ?  They 
replied,  that  they  could  not  do  otherwise.  It  is  as  if  a  certain 
fury  invaded  us,  when  we  see  any  angel,  and  feel  the  divine 
sphere  about  him.  I  said,  Then  you  are  even  like  wild  beasts. 


340 


ANGELIC  WISDOM,  ETC. 


On  hearing  this,  rage  came  upon  them,  which  appeared  like 
the  lire  of  hatred  ;  and  to  prevent  their  doing  any  mischief,  they 
were  remanded  to  hell.  Concerning  delights  perceived  as  odors 
and  stenches  in  the  spiritual  world,  see  above,  n.  303,  304, 
305,  324. 


274 


6 


I  N  D  E  X 


TO 

THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


The  Numbers  refer  to  the  Paragraphs,  and  not  to  the  Pages. 


Abel  represents  love  or  charity,  242. 
See  Cavn. 

Abstract  ideas  concerning'  the  Infinite, 
46.  There  are  abstract  ideas  given,  by 
which  it  can  be  seen  that  things  exist, 
though  not  what  is  their  quality,  46. 

Abuse  of  the  faculties  of  man,  called 
liberty  and  rationality,  15.  By  the  abuse 
of  these  two  faculties,  man  may  confirm 
whatever  he  will,  286. 

Accidents  and  contingencies  are  vain 
words,  70. 

Accumulation  of  hereditary  evils  in  suc¬ 
cessive  generations,  328. 

Acknowledge.  —  Nothing  can  be  ac¬ 
knowledged  without  the  consent  of  the 
will,  231.  Every  one  acknowledges  God, 
and  is  conformed  to  Him  according  to  the 
good  of  his  life,  325,  326.  Those  who  have 
acknowledged  nature  alone,  and  human 
prudence  alone,  constitute  hell ;  and  those 
who  have  acknowledged  God  and  His  Di¬ 
vine  Providence,  constitute  heaven,  205. 

Acknowledgment  of  God  effects  a  con¬ 
junction  of  God  with  man,  and  of  man  with 
God,  325,  326.  The  acknowledgment  of 
God,  and  the  good  of  life,  save  every  man, 
325.  The  acknowledgment  of  God,  and 
that  all  good  and  truth  proceed  from  Him, 
cause  a  man  to  be  reformed  and  regene¬ 
rated,  91.  There  is  an  acknowledgment 
of  the  Lord  from  wisdom,  and  an  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  the  Lord  from  love,  91.  The 
acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  from  wisdom 
is  given  from  doctrine,  and  the  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  the  Lord  from  love  is  given 
from  a  life  according  to  doctrine,  91.  This 
latter  giving  conjunction,  but  the  former, 
presence,  91. 

Ohs. — The  word  acknowledgment ,  in  the 
writings  of  the  author,  is  almost  al¬ 
ways  taken  in  the  acceptation  of  knowl¬ 
edge,  resulting  from  a  profound  exam¬ 
ination. 

Action. — If  love  be  taken  away,  there  is 
r>o  longer  any  volition,  and  consequently 
no  action,  3. 

Actually,  32,  324. 

Ohs. — This  expression  has  been  employ¬ 
ed  to  distinguish  actualiter  from  reali- 
U»',  of  which  the  author  also  makes 
use  ;  thus  between  actually  and  really 
there  is  the  same  distinction  as  be¬ 

275 


tween  actual ,  taken  in  a  philosophic 
sense,  and  real. 

Adam. — By  Adam  and  his  wife,  in  Gen¬ 
esis,  are  not  meant  the  first  of  all  the  men 
created  in  this  world,  but  the  men  of  the 
most  ancient  church,  whose  new  creation 
or  regeneration  is  thus  described,  241,  275. 
313,  328.  Hereditary  evil  does  not  come 
from  Adam,  as  is  supposed,  for  every  one 
is  born  into  it  from  his  parent,  277.  The 
condemnation  of  Adam  signifies  that  of  the 
intellectual  proprium,  313. 

Admission  into  heaven  from  immediate 
mercy,  to  remain  there,  is  not  possible,  338. 

Adult,  the,  who  does  not  come  into  es¬ 
sential  liberty  and  rationality  in  the  world, 
can  never  come  into  them  after  death  ;  for 
then,  whatever  is  the  state  of  his  life  which 
has  been  acquired  in  the  world,  such  it  re¬ 
mains  to  eternity,  99. 

Adultery. — Its  horrible  nature,  144. 

Affect. — Correspondent  unclean  things 
affect  the  wicked,  and  correspondent  clean 
things  affect  the  good,  40. 

Ohs. — Affect  is  taken  in  the  acceptation 
of  inspiring  with  affection. 

Affection.— Every  affection,  in  its  es¬ 
sence,  is  a  subordinate  love  derived  from 
the  life’s  love,  as  a  stream  from  its  fountain, 
195.  The  affections  are  derivations  from 
the  life’s  love  of  every  one,  28,  106.  The 
affections  of  a  man’s  life’s  love  are  known 
to  the  Lord  alone,  197.  They  are  led  by 
the  Lord,  by  means  of  His  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  200.  The  Lord,  by  His  Divine 
Providence,  connects  together  the  affec¬ 
tions  of  the  whole  human  race  into  one 
form,  which  is  the  human,  201.  Every  af¬ 
fection  of  good,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of 
truth,  in  its  form,  is  a  man,  66.  No  one 
can  perceive  and  think  any  thing  without 
affection,  and  every  one  perceives  and 
thinks  according  to  affection,  28.  Affec¬ 
tions  of  external  thought  manifest  them¬ 
selves  in  the  sensation  of  the  body,  but 
rarely  in  the  thought  of  the  mind,  199. 
Affections  of  internal  thought,  from  which 
the  internals  exist,  never  manifest  idem- 
selves  to  a  man,  199.  Affections  ar«  inte¬ 
rior  and  exterior  ;  interior  affections  idjoin 
to  themselves  consorts,  which  are  called 
perceptions,  and  exterior  affections  adjoin 
to  themselves  consorts  which  are  culled 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


thoughts,  194.  Every  affection  has  its  com¬ 
panion  as  a  consort :  the  affection  of  natural 
love  having  science — the  affection  of  spirit¬ 
ual  love,  intelligence — and  the  affection  of 
celestial  love,  wisdom,  74.  In  beasts  there 
is  a  marriage  of  affection  and  science,  the 
affection  being  that  of  natural  good,  and 
the  science  that  of  natural  truth,  74.  Man 
has  not  only  the  affection  of  natural  love, 
but  also  the  affection  of  spiritual  love,  and 
that  of  celestial  love,  75.  The  affection 
which  is  of  the  love  of  good  constitutes 
heaven  with  man,  63. 

Affection  and  Thought.— Every  affec¬ 
tion  is  in  heat,  and  every  thought  is  in 
light,  199. #  Every  affection  has  its  delight, 
and  every  thought  its  pleasantness,  195. 
There  is  no  affection  without  its  thought, 
nor  thought  without  its  affection,  194. 
There  cannot  exist  any  thought  without 
affection,  196.  Affection  corresponds  to 
sound,  and  thought  to  speech,  296.  As 
sound,  together  with  speech,  diffuses  itself 
in  the  air,  in  the  natural  world,  so  does 
affection,  together  with  thought,  diffuse 
itself  among  societies  in  the  spiritual  world, 
296.  Affections,  with  perceptions,  make  a 
man’s  internal ;  and  the  delights  of  the  af¬ 
fections,  together  with  the  thoughts,  make 
his  external,  106.  The  affections  of  a  man’s 
life’s  love  are  led  of  the  Lord  by  His  Divine 
Providence,  and,  at  the  same  time,  his 
thoughts,  from  which  human  prudence  is 
derived,  200.  Affections  and  thoughts  are, 
in  their  substantiate,  substances,  279.  Af¬ 
fections,  which  are  of  the  will,  are  mere 
changes  and  variations  of  the  state  of  the 
purely  organic  substances  of  the  mind; 
and  thoughts,  which  are  of  the  under¬ 
standing,  are  mere  changes  and  variations 
of  their  form,  ,279,  319.  The  organic  forms 
of  the  mind  are  the  subjects  of  a  man’s 
affections  and  thoughts,  319.  The  affec¬ 
tions  and  thoughts  thence  derived  are  not 
in  space  and  time,  50. 

Affinity,  spiritual,  338. 

Africans,  the,  believe  that  their  dead 
are  men  in  the  other  life,  274. 

Age. — All  who  have  led  a  good  life,  when 
they  go  to  heaven,  enter  into  their  juvenile 
age  in  the  world,  and  continue  in  it  to 
eternity,  324.  Women,  though  they  have 
been  wrinkled  and  decrepit,  return  to  the 
flower  of  their  youth  and  beauty,  324. 

Ages. — By  the  golden,  silver,  copper,  and 
iron  ages,  mentioned  by  ancient  writers,  are 
meant  the  four  successive  churches,  328. 

Alive. — In  the  Word,  the  spiritual  man 
is  called  alive ;  whilst  the  natural  man, 
however  civilly  and  morally  he  may  act,  is 
called  dead,  322. 

Allowable.  —  What  is  allowable  in 
thought  is  from  the  will,  for  it  is  consent, 
81.  What  man  think*  allowable,  he  does 
continually  in  the  spirit,  81,  278.  Man 
ought  to  examine  himself,  to  discover  these 
evils  which  in  his  spirit  he  considers  allow¬ 
able,  278.  The  evils  which  a  man  thinks 
idlowable,  although  he  does  them  not,  are 
appropriated  to  him,  81. 

276 


Alphabet. — In  the  spiritual  world,  each 
letter  in  the  alphabet  signifies  a  thing,  and 
several  letters  joined  into  a  word,  which 
constitute  the  name  of  a  person,  include 
the  entire  state  of  a  thing,  230. 

Ammonites,  the,  in  the  Word  signify  a 
kind  of  evil,  251. 

Amorites,  in  the  Worn,  signify  a  kind  of 
evil,  251. 

Anabaptists,  259. 

Analytically. — Whence  a  man  has 
power  to  think  analytically,  317. 

Anatomical  details,  164,  180,  181,  199, 
279,  296,  319,  336. 

Ancient. — W  hat  was  the  love  of  dignities 
and  riches  in  the  most  ancient  times,  215. 

Angel. — Love  and  wisdom  constitute  the 
life  of  the  angels,  28.  Angels  and  spirits 
are  affections  which  are  of  love,  and  thoughts 
thence  derived,  50,  300,  301.  Every  angel 
turns  his  face  towards  the  Lord,  29.  They 
do  not  from  themselves  turn  their  faces  to 
the  Lord,  but  the  Lord  turns  them  to  Him¬ 
self,  29.  The  angels  of  the  third  heaven 
perceive  the  influx  of  Divine  love  and  Di¬ 
vine  wisdom  from  the  Lord,  158.  Some¬ 
times  the  Lord  fills  an  angel  with  His  Di¬ 
vine  Principle,  so  that  the  angel  knows  no 
other  than  that  he  is  the  Lord,  96. 

Answer  by  influx,  what  results  from  it, 
321. 

Antipathy  of  heaven  and  hell,  303. 

Antipodes. — Heaven  and  hell  are  like 
two  antipodes,  300. 

Aorta. — 296. 

Appear,  to. — Whatever  a  man  does  from 
liberty,  appears  to  him  as  his  own  act,  74- 
77.  When  man  is  in  deep  meditation,  he 
sometimes  appears  in  the  society,  in  the 
spiritual  world,  to  which  he  belongs,  296. 
The  Lord  appears  to  the  angels  at  a  dis¬ 
tance  as  a  sun  ;  the  reason  given,  162. 

Appearance.  —  Every  appearance  con¬ 
firmed  as  a  truth,  becomes  a  fallacy,  310, 
220.  Appearances  are  the  garments  of 
truth  :  to  confirm  them,  is  as  if  a  man  were 
to  believe  that  garments  are  men,  220. 
Those  who  confirm  appearances  in  them¬ 
selves,  become  natural,  187.  It  is  permit¬ 
ted  to  every  man  to  speak  from  appear¬ 
ance  ;  the  angels  also  speak  according  to 
appearance,  but  they  think  from  truth,  162. 
The  appearance  of  space  and  time  is  to  the 
angels  according  to  the  states  of  the  affeo- 
tions,  and  thence  of  the  thoughts,  50.  The 
Lord  conjoins  Himself  with  man  by  means 
of  appearances,  119,  120.  The  reason  why 
man  is  kept  in  the  appearance  that  he 
thinks,  wills,  speaks,  and  acts  from  him¬ 
self,  324.  In  the  spiritual  world,  spaces 
are  only  appearances,  29. 

Obs. — Those  things  are  called  appear¬ 
ances  which,  in  the  spiritual  world, 
present  themselves  before  the  sight  of 
spirits  and  angels ;  these  things  are 
named  appearances,  because,  corre¬ 
sponding  to  the  interiors  of  spirits  and 
angels,  and  representing  them,  they 
vary  according  to  the  states  of  their 
interiors.  There  are  real  and  unreal 


INDEX. 


appearances  ;  the  unreal  appearances 
are  those  which  do  not  correspond  to 
the  interiors,  See  H.  and  H.,  175. 

Appropriate,  to. — The  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  appropriates  neither  evil  nor  good  to 
any  one,  but  self-derived  prudence  appro¬ 
priates  both,  SOS.  Whatever  a  man  thinks, 
speaks,  and  does  from  his  will,  is  appro¬ 
priated  to  him,  and  remains,  as  well  good 
as  evil,  226,  227.  Whatever  a  man  does 
from  liberty  according  to  his  thought,  is 
appropriated  to  him  as  his  own,  and  re¬ 
mains,  73.  Nothing  is  appropriated  to  a 
man  which  he  only  thinks,  nor  yet  that 
which  he  thinks  to  will,  except  he,  at  the 
same  time,  wills  it  to  such  a  degree,  that 
when  opportunity  is  given,  he  does  it,  80. 
The  evils  which  a  man  thinks  allowable, 
although  he  does  them  not,  are  appropri¬ 
ated  to  him,  81.  No  one  thing  which  a 
man  has  appropriated  to  himself,  can  be 
eradicated,  because  it  is  made  an  ob¬ 
ject  of  his  love,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
of  his  reason,  and  thence  of  his  life,  79. 
If  a  man  would  believe,  as  is  the  truth, 
that  every  thing  good  and  true  is  from  the 
Lord,  and  every  thing  evil  and  false  from 
hell,  lie  would  neither  appropriate  to  him¬ 
self  good,  and  make  it  meritorious,  nor 
would  he  appropriate  to  himself  evil,  and 
make  himself  guilty  of  it,  320. 

Appropriation  of  good  and  evil,  78-81, 
320,  821. 

Arabia  was  one  of  those  countries  where 
the  ancient  church  existed,  and  in  which 
the  ancient  Word  was  known,  323. 

Arcana. — The  arcana  of  heaven  are  in¬ 
numerable,  of  which  scarcely  any  come  to 
our  knowledge,  254.  Man  possesses  within 
himself  the  faculty  of  understanding  the 
arcana  of  wisdom,  like  the  angels  them¬ 
selves,  223.  Devils  and  satans  can  also 
understand  them,  99.  Arcana  of  Angelic 
Wisdom  can  only  be  comprehended  by  the 
man  whose  spiritual  mind  is  opened,  164. 
Angelic  arcana,  4,  124,  125,  163,  164,  254. 
Arcanum  ofarcana  of  Angelic  Wisdom,  172. 

Arguments. — Ordinary  arguments  against 
Divine  Providence,  236-239;  refuted,  241- 
274. 

Arianism,  its  origin,  262.  It  reigns  in 
the  hearts  of  more  people  than  is  imagined, 
262. 

Arians,  their  fate  in  the  other  life,  231. 

Ark,  the,  among  the  Israelites,  by  reason 
of  the  Decalogue  therein  contained,  was 
the  most  holy  thing  of  the  church,  326. 

Arrangement,  the,  of  affections  in  hea¬ 
ven,  and  of  concupiscences  in  hell,  is  won¬ 
derful,  302. 

Arrogate,  to,  to  one’s  self  Divine  power, 
is  to  say  that  we  can  open  and  shut  heaven, 
remit  and  retain  sins,  consequently  can 
save  and  condemn  men,  257. 

Arteries,  296. 

As  it  were  from  himself,  76,  83,  92,  95, 
96,  102,  164,  210,  321.  As  if  in  itself,  54. 

Assyria  signifies  the  profanation  of  what 
is  holy,  251.  Assyria  was  one  of  those 
countries  where  the  ancient  church  exist- 

277 


ed,  and  in  which  the  ancient  Word  waa 
known,  328. 

Athanasian  Creed,  202,  262,  127,  338. 

Athanasius  could  not  think  otherwise 
than  that  three  Persons  are  three  Gods,  262. 

Atheists.— Those  who  attribute  all  things 
to  nature,  and  nothing  to  the  Divine  Being, 
and  have  made  this  a  part  of  their  faith  by 
reasonings  from  visible  objects,  are  athe¬ 
ists,  98,  99. 

Avarice  is  the  root  of  all  evils,  220. 

Babel,  in  the  Word,  signifies  the  pro¬ 
fanation  of  good  in  those  who  attribute  to 
themselves  things  divine,  231,  257. 

Babylon. — The  church,  not  long  after 
its  establishment,  was  converted  into  Bab¬ 
ylon,  and  afterwards  into  Philistia,  264. 
What  Babylon  is,  264. 

Baptism  is  a  sign  and  memorial  of  regen¬ 
eration  ;  it  does  not  save  any  except  tiiose 
who  are  spiritually  washed,  that  is,  regen¬ 
erated,  330.  See  To  Regenerate. 

Beasts. — Faculties  of  beasts,  difference 
between  their  faculties  and  those  of  men, 
74,  96.  He  that  believes  all  he  thinks  and 
does  to  be  from  himself,  is  not  unlike  a 
beast,  821.  fie  does  not  know  the  differ¬ 
ence  between  a  man  and  a  beast,  except 
that  the  former  speaks,  and  the  latter  ut¬ 
ters  sounds,  and  imagines  that  they  both 
die  alike,  321.  Difference  between  a  beast 
and  a  man  become  a  beast,  276. 

Beatitudes,  the,  of  heaven  cannot  be 
described  in  words,  though  in  heaven  they 
can  be  perceived  by  the  sense,  89. 

Beautiful. — The  true,  in  the  sight  of  the 
eye,  is  that  which  is  called  beautiful,  312. 

Behind,  from. — What  it  is  to  see  the  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  from  behind,  187. 

Blasphemies. — Their  origin,  276. 

Blessings. — What  are  true  blessings,  and 
what  are  not,  217,  250. 

Blindness  of  the  understanding.  Why 
those  who  are  in  a  state  of  blindness  of  the 
understanding  cannot  be  reformed,  144. 

Blood  signifies  the  Divine  Truth,  231. 
Bloods,  in  the  Word,  signify  the  violence 
called  the  falsification  of  truth,  and  that 
called  the  adulteration  of  good,  231. 

Body,  the,  of  man  consists  of  the  grosser 
substances  of  nature,  220.  These  he  puts 
off  by  death,  and  retains  the  purer  sub¬ 
stances  of  nature,  which  are  next  to  what 
is  spiritual,  and  which  then  are  his  conti¬ 
nents,  220.  When  the  body  is  sick,  the 
mind  also  is  sick,  142.  In  the  whole,  and 
in  every  part  of  the  body,  there  are  inter¬ 
nals  and  externals  :  the  externals  are  called 
skins,  membranes,  and  coverings  ;  the  in¬ 
ternals  are  forms  of  nervous  fibres  and 
blood-vessels,  variously  composed  and 
united,  ISO. 

Bones,  the,  of  the  Grand  Man,  or  ot 
heaven,  are  constituted  by  those  to  whcm 
the  Gospel  cannot  r«ach,  but  only  some  re¬ 
ligion,  254,  326. 

Born,  to  be. — Man  is  born  into  the  ulti¬ 
mate  of  life,  which  is  called  the  corporeal 
sensual  principle,  and  consequently  in  the 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


darkness  of  ignorance,  276.  Every  man, 
hereditarily  from  his  parents,  is  born  into 
the  love  of  self  and  the  love  of  the  world, 
and  into  evils  of  every  description  from 
these  two  kinds  of  loves  as  fountains,  83.  If 
a  man  were  born  in  the  love  in  which  he  was 
created,  he  would  not  be  in  any  evil,  nor 
indeed  would  he  know  what  evil  is,  275. 

Brain. — Its  organization,  279.  The  brain 
sublimates  the  blood,  and  vivifies  it  anew, 
836. 

Bride. — Why  heaven  and  the  church  are 
called  the  Bride  in  the  Word,  8. 

Bridegroom. — Why  the  Lord  in  the 
Word  is  called  the  Bridegroom,  8. 

Cain  signifies  wisdom  or  faith  specifically, 
wisdom  separate  from  love,  or  faith  separ¬ 
ate  from  charity.  Cain,  who  slew  Abel,  is 
this  faith  which  annihilates  love  and  char¬ 
ity,  242.  See  Abel.  What  is  meant  by  the 
mark  set  upon  Cain,  242. 

Calf  of  Gold. — Why  the  worship  of  it 
was  permitted,  243. 

Calvin,  50. 

Cancer. — The  evils  which  remain  shut 
up,  and  do  not  appear,  are  compared  to  a 
cancer.  251. 

Captivity  of  the  Jewish  people  in  Baby¬ 
lon  represents  the  vastation  of  the  church, 

246. 

Carotid  Arteries,  296. 

Cart,  the  new,  1  Sam.  vi.,  signified  new, 
but  natural  doctrine,  326. 

Cartilages,  the,  of  the  Grand  Man,  or 
of  heaven,  are  constituted  of  those  to  whom 
the  Gospel  cannot  reach,  but  only  some  re¬ 
ligion,  254,  826. 

Catechism  or  Decalogue,  regarded  as  a 
child’s  book,  which  is  no  longer  of  any 
use,  329. 

Catholicism.  Roman. — Its  dominion,  215. 
Why  it  has  been  permitted,  257.  Why  it 
is  of  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord, 
that  they  should  divide  the  Holy  Supper, 
giving  the  bread  alone  to  the  people,  also 
that  they  should  make  it  corporeal  and 
material,  and  account  this  doctrine  to  be  a 
primary  tenet  of  religion,  257. 

Catholics,  Roman,  in  general  suffer 
themselves  to  be  forced  to  religion,  but  it 
is  the  case  with  those  in  whose  worship 
there  is  nothing  internal,  but  all  is  ex¬ 
ternal,  136. 

Cause. — Whatever  is  done  from  any  cause 
is  done  from  the  Divine  Providence  of  the 
Lord,  according  to  some  of  its  laws,  246. 
Nothing  can  be  and  exist  without  a  cause, 
212.  The  causes  of  permissions  are  laws  of 
Divine  Providence,  249.  If  the  cause  is 
taken  away  from  the  effect,  the  effect  per¬ 
ishes,  3.  The  cause  is  called  the  middle 
end,  108. 

Cause,  to  be  the. — The  Lord  is  not  the 
cause  of  a  man’s  thinking  what  is  evil  and 
false,  292.  Those  who  are  not  saved,  are 
themselves  the  cause  of  it,  830. 

Centre. — From  the  centre  to  the  circum¬ 
ference,  79.  The  things  which  are  of  the 
centre  diffuse  themselves  towards  the  cir- 

2TS 


eumferenee,  S6.  Evils  with  falses  are  with 
the  wicked  as  it  were  in  the  centre,  and 
good  principles  with  truths  in  the  circum¬ 
ference  ;  but  good  principles  with  truths 
are  in  the  centre  with  the  good,  and  evils 
with  falsities  in  the  circumference,  S6. 
Thus  good,  in  the  circumference  with  the 
wicked,  is  defiled  by  the  evils  of  the  centre, 
and  evils  in  the  circumference  with  the 
good  are  renderei  mild  by  the  good  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  centre,  86.  *  Whatever  is  in 
the  centre  is  directly  under  inspection,  and 
is  seen  and  perceived,  2S3. 

Chaldea  signifies  the  profanation  of 
truth  in  those  who  attribute  to  themselves 
things  divine,  231.  Also,  the  profanation 
of  what  is  holy,  251.  Chaldea  was  one  of 
tho>e  countries  in  which  the  ancient  church 
existed,  and  where  the  ancient  Word  was 
known,  328. 

Changes  and  variations  of  state  and  form 
in  the  organic  substances  of  the  mind,  195, 
279.  319.  What  is  the  nature  and  quality 
of  these  changes,  319.  Changes  and  varia¬ 
tions  of  state  in  organic  substances  are  of 
such  a  nature,  that  when  once  they  become 
habitual,  they  are  permanent,  279. 

Chariot,  in  the  Word,  signifies  doctrine 
grounded  on  spiritual  truths,  326. 

Charm,  the.  resulting  from  speaking  with 
the  dead  is  an  internal  restraint ;  but  this 
restraint  is  dissolved,  and  the  inclosed 
evils  break  out  with  blasphemy  and  pro¬ 
fanation,  134.* 

Christ. — No  one  can  even  name  the  Lord, 
or  utter  His  names,  Jesus  and  Christ,  but 
from  Him,  53. 

Christians,  the,  of  the  ancient  church 
could  not  comprehend  that  God,  the  Crea¬ 
tor  of  the  universe,  himself  came  into  the 
world,  and  took  upon  Him  the  human  na¬ 
ture;  they,  therefore,  in  thought,  separated 
His  divinity  from  His  humanity,  255. 
Those  who  deny  the  sanctity  of  the  Word, 
are  not  reputed  as  Christians,  256. 

Christian  Religion. — Why  it  is  estab¬ 
lished  only  in  the  smallest  quarter  of  the 
habitable  globe,  and  why  it  is  divided 
there,  256.  Why,  in  many  kingdoms  in 
which  it  has  been  received,  there  are  some 
who  claim  to  themselves  divine  power,  and 
wish  to  be  adored  as  gods  ;  and  why  they 
invoke  dead  men,  257.  Why,  among  those 
who  profess  the  Christian  religion,  there 
are  some  who  place  salvation  in  certain 
words,  which  they  think  and  speak,  and 
not  in  any  good  they  do,  25S.  See  Chris¬ 
tian  World.  Why  heretofore  it  was  not 
known  that  the  very  essence  of  the  Chris 
tian  religion  is  to  shun  evils  as  sins,  265. 

Christian  World.  —  Why  the  whole 
Christian  world  worship  God  under  thres 
Persons,  which  is  three  Gods,  and  why 
hitherto  they  have  not  known  that  God  is 
one  in  person  and  in  essence,  in  whom 
there  is  a  Trinity,  and  that  that  God  is  the 
;  Lord,  262.  Why  there  have  been  and 
still  are  so  many  heresies  in  the  Christian 
world,  259.  See  Heresies. 

Church,  the,  is  a  communion  of  all  those 


INDEX 


who  are  in  the  acknowledgment  of  a  God, 
and  the  good  of  life,  325.  The  church  of 
the  Lord  is  not  in  the  Christian  world,  but 
it  is  common,  or  extended  and  spread  over 
the  whole  world,  consequently  amongst 
those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  Lord,  and 
have  not  the  Word,  325.  The  common 
essentials  of  all  religions  are  the  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  a  God  and  the  good  of  life, 
325.  Upon  this  earth  there  have  been 
several  churches,  from  the  most  ancient 
times  down  to  the  present;  first,  the  most 
ancient  church,  then  the  ancient  church, 
then  the  Hebrew  church, from  which  sprung 
the  Israelitish  and  Jewish  church,  to  which 
succeeded  the  Christian  church,  323.  The 
Christian  church,  after  its  establishment, 
lapsed  into  Babylon,  which  transferred  to 
itself  the  divine  power  of  the  Lord,  262  ; 
yet,  that  it  might  not  be  called  divine 
power,  but  human,  they  made  the  Lord's 
humanity  similar  to  that  of  another  man, 
262.  It"  is  always  provided  that  a  new 
church  should  succeed  in  the  place  of  the 
former  vastated  church,  32S.  To  the  Chris¬ 
tian  church  will  succeed  the  new  church 
foretold  in  the  Apocalypse,  signified  by 
the  new  Jerusalem  descending  from  heaven, 
828. 

Chyle. — Conveyance  of  the  chyle  into 
the  viscera  of  the  body,  296,  164. 

Civil. — What  is  civil  and  moral  is  the 
receptacle  of  what  is  spiritual,  822.  He 
that  knows  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  of 
which  he  is  a  citizen,  and  lives  according  to 
them,  is  called  a  civil  man,  322. 

Coats  of  Skins,  the,  with  which  Adam 
and  Eve  were  clothed,  signified  ap¬ 
pearances  of  truth  in  which  alone  they 
were  principled  whom  they  represented", 
313. 

Colors  would  not  exist  unless  the  light 
were  constant,  190.  See  Constant.  Colors 
appear  alike  in  the  light  of  winter  or  of 
summer,  29S. 

Combat. — Whence  arises  the  combat  of 
the  internal  man  with  the  external,  146.  It 
takes  place  in  man  when  he  sees  evils  to 
be  sin.-,  and  therefore  wills  to  desist  from 
them,  145,  147.  If  it  is  grievous  it  is 
called  temptation,  145,  2S4.  There  is  com¬ 
bat  against  the  things  which  are  in  the 
man  himself,  and  which  he  feels  therefore 
as  his  own,  147.  The  most  difficult  combat 
of  all  is  that  with  the  love  of  dominion  from 
the  love  of  self,  146. 

Commerce  is  a  general  good,  when  the 
love  of  it  is  the  end,  and  that  of  money 
the  means  subservient,  provided  the  mer¬ 
chant  shuns  and  avoids  frauds  and  evil 
arts  as  sins,  220. 

Common*. — That  is  common  which  exists 
from  particulars,  201. 

Communication. — In  the  spiritual  world 
there  is  a  communication  between  the  af¬ 
fections  and  the  thoughts  derived  from 
uem,  224. 

Comparisons  regarding — • 

Celestial  love,  107. 

Infernal  love,  107. 

279 


Those  who  ascribe  all  things  to  self, 
der.ved  prudence,  309. 

The  combat  between  good  and  evil  in 
man  during  reformation,  284. 

The  covetous,  112. 

Joy  in  the  highest  and  in  the  lowest 
heaven,  254. 

The  evil  which  exists,  but  does  not 
appear,  278. 

Piety  without  repentance,  121. 

The  delights  of  the  affections  of  good, 
40. 

The  delights  of  the  concupiscences  of 
evil,  40. 

The  natural-rational  and  the  spiritual- 
rational,  154. 

Wisdom  conjoined  to  love,  35. 

Wisdom  not  conjoined  to  love,  85. 

Wisdom  in  its  progression,  335. 

Life  flowing  into  the  wicked  as  well  as 
into  the  good,  160. 

Conceit. — When  the  love  of  self  inspires 
its  love  into  the  understanding,  it  there  be¬ 
comes  conceit,  which  is  the  conceit  of  self- 
derived  intelligence,  206.  The  proprium 
of  man’s  understanding  is  the  conceit  of 
self-derived  intelligence,  321.  The  conceit 
of  self-derived  intelligence  attributes  to  it¬ 
self  prudence,  197. 

Concubine  in  the  Word  signifies  a  re¬ 
ligious  principle,  245.  The  three  hundred 
concubines  of  Solomon  represented  the 
various  religious  principles  prevailing  in 
the  world,  245. 

Concupiscences  are  the  affections  of  the 
love  of  evil.  33.  They  reside  in  the  natural 
man,  33.  The  concupiscences  of  evil  are 
innumerable,  296,  279.  They  possess  the 
interiors  of  the  mind,  33.  Evils  are  in  the 
external  man,  and  the  concupiscences  of 
evil  in  the  internal,  and  these  cohere  to¬ 
gether  like  the  roots  of  a  tree  to  their 
trunk,  119.  The  fire  of  the  concupiscences 
of  evil  being  inclosed,  consumes  the  in¬ 
teriors,  and  devastates  them  even  to  the 
gate,  278.  Each  concupiscence  of  evil  ap¬ 
pears  in  hell  when  it  is  represented  like 
some  noxious  animal,  296.  Concupiscences 
enter  the  body  by  the  external  of  thought, 
112.  A  man  cannot  perceive  the  concu¬ 
piscences  of  his  own  evil ;  if  he  did  not  from 
some  other  source  know  that  they  are  evils, 
he  would  call  them  goods,  113.  The  per¬ 
ceptions  of  concupiscence  in  all  sorts  of 
craft  and  cunning  :  the  delights  of  concu¬ 
piscences  are  evils,  and  their  thoughts 
falses,  206. 

Confess. — What  it  is  to  confess  sins,  278. 
Those  who  confess  themselves  guilty  of  all 
sins,  and  yet  do  not  search  out  any  sin 
in  themselves,  do  not  confess  their  sins,  273. 

Confession,  a,  of  every  sin,  without 
searching  out  any  particular  sin.  is  a  laying 
asleep  of  all,  and  at  length  a  blending  of 
all ;  it  is  like  something  general  without 
any  particular,  which  is  nothing,  278. 

Obs.  —  Confession  consists  in  seeing, 

knowing,  and  acknowledging  our  sins, 

and  regarding  ourselves  as  miserable 

sinners,  T.  C.  R '.,  539. 


* 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Confirm,  to. — Every  thing  of  which  a  | 
man  is  persuaded,  and  in  which  he  is  con¬ 
firmed,  remains  as  his  proprium,  317. 
There  is  nothing  but  what  may  be  con¬ 
firmed,  and  falsity  more  easily  than  truth, 
818.  It  may  be  confirmed  in  such  a  decree 
that  it  appears  as  truth,  286,  318.  'When 
falsity  is  confirmed,  truth  does  not  appear, 
but  from  confirmed  truth  falsity  does  ap¬ 
pear,  318.  To  be  able  to  confirm  whatever 
a  man  pleases  is  not  intelligence,  but  only 
ingenuity,  which  may  exist  even  amongst 
the  most  wicked,  318.  Everything  con¬ 
firmed  by  the  will,  and  at  the  same  time 
by  the  understanding,  remains  to  eternity, 
but  not  that  which  is  confirmed  by  the  un¬ 
derstanding  only,  318.  He  who  confirms 
evil  loves,  offers  violence  to  divine  goods, 
and  he  who  confirms  false  principles,  offers 
violence  to  divine  truths,  231. 

Confirmation,  the,  of  what  is  false  is  a 
negation  of  the  truth,  and  the  confirmation 
of  evil  is  a  rejection  of  good,  231.  There 
may  be  intellectual  confirmation  and  not  at 
the  same  time  voluntary  ;  but  all  voluntary 
confirmation  is  also  intellectual,  318.  The 
voluntary,  and  at  the  same  time  the  intel¬ 
lectual  confirmation  of  evil,  causes  a  man 
to  think  that  self-derived  prudence  is  all, 
and  the  Divine  Providence  nothing,  but 
not  the  intellectual  confirmation  of  it  alone, 
318. 

Confirmers. — There  are  some  very  dex¬ 
terous  confirmers,  who  know  no  truth, 
and  vet  can  confirm  both  truth  and  falsitv, 
318.  ‘ 

Conflict  and  Combat  between  good  and 
evil  in  man  when  he  is  reformed,  284. 

Confused. — All  imperfection  of  form  re¬ 
sults  from  what  is  confused  or  indistinct,  4. 

Conjoin,  to. — How  a  man  is  more  and 
more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  33. 
Every  one  acknowledges  God,  and  is  con¬ 
joined  with  Him  according  to  the  good  of 
his  life,  326.  The  Lord  is  so  conjoined  to 
a  man,  spirit,  and  angel,  that  all  which  has 
relation  to  the  divine  is  not  from  them,  but 
from  the  Lord,  53.  A  man  becomes  wiser 
in  proportion  as  he  is  more  nearly  conjoined 
to  the  Lord,  84;  also  happier,  37  ;  he  also 
appears  to  himself  to  be  more  distinctly  at 
his  own  disposal,  and  perceives  more  evi¬ 
dently  that  he  is  the  Lord’s,  42.  The  Lord 
joins  a  man  to  himself  by  appearances  and 
bv  correspondences,  219.  The  Lord,  by 
his  Divine  Providence,  joins  himself  to 
things  natural  by  things  spiritual,  and  to  j 
tilings  temporary  by  things  eternal,  ac-  | 
cording  to  uses,  220.  The  Lord  joins  him-  1 
self  to  uses  by  correspondences,  and  so  by 
appearances,  according  to  confirmations, 
by  a  man,  220.  The  understanding  does 
not  join  itself  with  the  will,  nor  the  thought 
of  the  understanding  with  the  affection  of 
the  will,  but  the  will  and  its  affection  join 
themselves  with  the  understanding  and.  its 
thought,  80. 

Conjugial  love  is  celestial  spiritual  love 
itself,  which  is  an  image  of  the  love  of  the 
Lord  and  of  the  church,  144. 

2S0 


Conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  the  recep¬ 
tion  of  love  and  wisdom  from  him,  164. 
Conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  regenera¬ 
tion  make  one,  92.  There  is  a  conjunction 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  also  one  more  and 
more  remote,  28,  32.  How  a  man  is  more 
and  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  83. 
In  what  manner  the  conjunction  of  the 
Lord  with  the  angels,  and  of  the  angels 
with  the  Lord,  is  effected,  28.  The  con¬ 
junction  of  the  Lord  with  a  man,  and  the 
reciprocal  conjunction  of  a  man  with  the 
Lord,  is  effected  by  the  two  faculties  of 
liberty  and  rationality,  92.  They  are  ef¬ 
fected  by  his  loving  his  neighbor  as  him¬ 
self,  and  loving  the  Lord  above  all  things. 
94.  There  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lora 
with  every  man,  as  well  the  wicked  as  the 
good  ;  it  is  thence  that  a  man  has  immor¬ 
tality  :  but  he  alone  has  eternal  life — that  is, 
the  life  of  heaven — in  whom  there  is  a  re¬ 
ciprocal  conjunction  from  inmost  parts  to 
ultimates.  96.  The  acknowledgment  ot 
God  effects  a  conjunction  of  God  with  man, 
326.  Upon  the  conjunction  of  the  Creator 
with  man,  the  connection  of  all  things  de¬ 
pends,  3.  Conjunction,  in  the  spiritual 
world,  proceeds  from  the  affection  which 
is  of  love,  326.  All  conjunction  in  the 
spiritual  world  is  effected  by  inspection, 
29;  examples,  326.  Spiritual  conjunction 
is  like  itself,  both  in  things  general  and  in 
tilings  particular;  it  derives  its  origin  from 
the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with  the 
spiritual  world  and  with  the  natural  world 
in  general  and  in  particular,  326.  Con¬ 
junction  of  the  will  with  the  understand¬ 
ing,  165.  Conjunction  of  all  things  of  the 
will  and  understanding,  or  of  the  mind  of 
a  man,  with  his  life's  love,  108. 

Connection,  the,  of  all  things  depends 
on  the  conjunction  of  the  Creator  with 
man,  3. 

Consent  is  equivalent  to  act,  111. 

Constant  or  fixed  things  were  created, 
in  order  that  things  inconstant  or  unfixed 
might  exist.  190.  Enumeration  of  certain 
constant  things,  190. 

Consummation. — The  end  of  a  church  is 
called  its  consummation,  328.  The  manner 
in  which  the  consummations  of  the  most 
ancient  church,  the  ancient  church,  the 
Israelitish  and  Jewish  church,  and  the 
Christian  church,  are  described  in  the 
Word,  and  the  mode  in  which  they  suc¬ 
cessively  took  place,  32S. 

Contagion  of  evil,  whence  it  arises,  S2S. 

Contiguity. — What  is  living  in  man  or 
an  angel  is  from  the  proceeding  divine, 
which  is  joined  to  him  by  contiguity,  and 
appears  to  him  as  his  own,  57. 

Correspondences.  —  All  things  of  the 
mind  correspond  to  all  things  of  the  body, 
181.  The  Lord  conjoins  himself  to  uses 
means  of  correspondences,  220.  All  things 
in  the  Word  are  mere  correspondences  or 
things  spiritual  and  celestial ;  and  because 
they  are  correspondences,  they  are  also 
appearances,  220.  The  science  of  corre- 
I  spondences,  which  is  the  scieuc*  «jf  reprp- 


INDEX. 


sentations,  was,  amongst  the  ancients,  the 
peculiar  science  of  their  wise  men,  and  was 
cultivated  particularly  in  Egypt,  255. 

Covenant. — Why  the  two  tables  of  the 
law  are  called  the  covenant,  326. 

Coverings. — After  death  a  man  is  equally 
a  man  as  in  the  world ;  with  this  difference 
only,  that  he  has  put  off  that  covering  which 
constituted  his  body  in  the  world,  124. 

Cows  signify  good  natural  affections, 
326. 

Create,  to. — All  things  "were  created 
from  the  divine  love  by  the  divine  ■wis¬ 
dom,  3.  The  divine  love  and  divine  wis- 
dom  are  in  a  certain  image  in  every  created 
thing,  5.  In  every  created  thing  there  is 
something  which  may  be  referred  to  the 
marriage  of  good  and  truth,  74.  No  angel 
or  spirit  was  immediately  created  such,  but 
all  were  first  born  men,  220.  Every  man 
is  created  to  live  to  eternity  in  a  state  of 
happiness,  324.  Man  was  created  that  he 
might  be  a  receptacle  of  the  love  and  wis¬ 
dom  of  God,  328.  The  difference  between 
creating  and  proceeding  from,  219. 

Creation. — The  end  of  creation  is  a 
heaven  out  of  the  human  race,  323.  All 
things  which  are  without  man,  and  serve 
for  his  use,  are  secondary  ends  of  creation, 
332.  The  Lord  created  the  universe  to  the 
end  that  an  intinite  and  eternal  creation 
might  exist  therein  from  himself,  202,  203. 
By  the  creation  of  heaven  and  earth,  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  is  signified  the  new 
creation  or  regeneration  of  the  men  of  the 
most  ancient  church,  241. 

Creation,  the  first,  332. 

Obs. — By  this  expression,  which  we  meet 
with  occasionally  in  the  writings,  the 
author  does  not  mean  that  there  has 
been  a  first  and  second  creation ;  but 
as  preservation  is  perpetual  creation, 
and  as  in  preserving  God  continually 
creates,  this  expression  points  out 
more  particularly  the  creation  of  the 
universe. 

Crowns. — The  seven  crowns  upon  the 
head  of  the  dragon,  Apoc.  xii.  3,  signifies 
the  holy  things  of  the  Word  and  of  the 
church  profaned,  310. 

Crucify. — Why  the  Jewish  nation  was 
permitted  to  crucify  the  Lord,  247. 

Cruelties. — Their  origin,  276. 

Cunning. — The  perceptions  of  concupis¬ 
cences  are  all  sorts  of  craft  and  cunning, 
206. 

Cunning,  the. — Their  fate  in  the  other 
life.  310. 

Cup  of  cold  water,  Matt.  x.  42,  signifies 
something  of  truth,  230. 

Cure,  to. — The  evils  of  a  man’s  life’s 
love  are  cured  by  spiritual  means,  as  dis¬ 
eases  are  by  natural  means,  281.  How  the 
Lord  cures  man,  281,  282.  The  healing  of 
the  understanding  alone  would  be  like  a 
alliative — it  is  the  will  itself  which  must 
e  cured,  282.  In  what  way  the  Lord  heals 
the  love  of  a  man’s  will,  283. 

Curse,  the,  of  Cain  involves  the  spiritual 
state  into  which  those  who  separate  faith 

2S1 


from  charity,  or  wisdom  from  love,  coma 
after  death,  242.  What  are  real  curses, 
217,  250. 

Dagon  represented  the  religious  prin¬ 
ciple  of  those  who  are  in  faith  separated 
from  charity,  326. 

Damnation  is  non-salvation,  329.  The 
first  state  of  man  is  a  state  of  damnation, 
S3.  By  a  belief  in  momentaneous  salva¬ 
tion,  through  immediate  mercy,  damnation 
is  imputed  to  the  Lord,  340. 

Damned,  to  be. — To  suppose  any  of  the 
human  race  are  predestined  to  be  damned, 
is  a  cruel  heresy,  330. 

Danes. — What  is  taught  them  in  the 
prayer  at  the  holy  communion,  114. 

Darkness. — In  the  Word,  falsities  are 
called  darkness  ;  and  thence  those  who  are 
in  falsities  are  said  to  walk  in  darkness, 
318.  Outer  darkness,  231, 

Darkness. — When  an  angel  of  heaven 
looks  into  hell,  he  sees  nothing  there  but 
profound  darkness;  and  when  a  spirit  of 
hell  looks  into  heaven,  he  sees  nothing 
there  but  darkness,  137. 

David,  by,  in  several  passages  of  the 
Word  is  represented  the  Lord,  who  was 
about  to  come  into  the  World,  245. 

Death  is  a  continuation  of  life,  277*.  By 
death  a  man  puts  off  the  grosser  substances 
of  nature,  of  which  his  body  consists,  and 
retains  the  purer  substances  of  nature, 
which  are  next  to  what  is  spiritual,  and 
which  then  are  his  continents,  220.  Thus 
the  death  of  the  body  is  the  rejection  of 
temporary  and  natural  ultimates,  220.  In 
the  spiritual  world  it  is  not  asked  after 
death,  what  has  your  faith  been,  or  what 
your  doctrine?  but,  what  has  your  life  been? 
101.  Why  the  natural  man,  however  civ¬ 
illy  and  morally  he  may  act,  is  called  dead, 
222. 

Decalogue,  the,  was  primary  in  the 
Word,  being  deposited  in  the  ark  :  it  was 
called  Jehovah,  and  constituted  the  holy 
of  holies  in  the  tabernacle,  and  the  most 
sacred  place  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem, 
326.  There  are  two  tables  of  the  Deca¬ 
logue,  one  for  God,  and  the  other  for  man, 
326.  The  Decalogue  taught  to  children, 
258,  265.  The  Decalogue,  at  this  day,  is  as 
a  book  that  is  shut,  or  open  only  in  the 
hands  of  infants  and  children,  329. 

Degrees. — There  are  two  kinds  of  de¬ 
grees — discrete  degrees,  or  those  of  alti¬ 
tude  ;  and  continuous  degrees,  or  those  ot 
latitude,  32.  Every  man  by  creation,  and 
thence  by  birth,  has  three  discrete  degrees, 
or  degrees  of  altitude  ;  the  first  is  the  nat¬ 
ural  degree,  the  second  the  spiritual  degree, 
and  the  third  the  celestial  degree,  32,  324. 
These  degrees  are  actually  in  every  one ; 
but  in  beasts  there  is  only  one  degree  of 
life,  which  is  similar  to  the  ultimate  degree 
in  a  man,  called  natural,  324.  These  de¬ 
grees  are  actually  opened  in  man  by  the 
Lord  according  to  his  life  in  the  world,  but 
not  perceptibly  and  sensibly  till  after  his 
departure  out  of  the  world,  32.  There  are. 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


also  in  a  man  three  degrees  of  wisdom; 
they  are  opened  according  to  love,  34.  The 
spiritual  degree  is  not  continued  from  the 
natural  degree  by  continuity,  but  is  joined 
to  it  by  correspondences  ;  it  is  the  same 
with  the  celestial  degree  in  regard  to  the 
spiritual,  34.  The  first  degree  of  the  life 
of  man,  called  the  natural  degree,  con¬ 
sidered  in  itself,  loves  nothing  but  self  and 
the  world  ;  the  reason  why,  324.  The  de¬ 
gree  of  affection  for  goodness  and  truth  in 
which  each  man  was  when  he  departed  out 
of  this  world,  is  perfected  to  eternity,  334. 

Delight,  the,  of  man’s  love  constitutes 
his  very  life,  186.  Delights  constitute  the 
life  of  every  one,  303.  Every  delight  en¬ 
joyed  by  a  man  is  from  his  love,  73.  All 
delight  and  pleasure  is  from  the  affection, 
which  is  of  love,  76.  Every  delight  of  love 
is  felt  no  otherwise  than  as  a  good,  83. 
The  delights  of  love  are  what  are  called 
goods  of  charity,  145.  To  act  from  the  de¬ 
light  of  love  is  to  act  from  liberty,  73  ;  and 
when  reason  favors  the  love,  it  is  also  to 
act  according  to  reason,  85.  What  delight 
and  pleasure  are,  312.  The  delight  of  his 
affection  fills  and  encompasses  every’  angel 
of  heaven  ;  its  common  delight  fills  and  en¬ 
compasses  every  society  of  heaven  ;  and  the 
delight  of  all  together  fills  and  encompasses 
the  universal  heaven  ;  in  like  manner  the 
delight  of  concupiscence  fills  and  encom- 
asses  every’  spirit  of  hell,  every  society  in 
ell,  and  the  -whole  of  hell,  303.  There 
exists  no  affection  or  concupiscence  with¬ 
out  its  delights,  303.  Delights  are  of  two 
kinds:  those  of  the  understanding,  which 
are  also  those  of  wisdom  ;  and  those  of  the 
will,  which  are  also  those  of  love,  136.  De¬ 
lights  occupy^  the  thoughts,  and  take  away 
reflections,  113.  External  delights  allure 
the  internal  to  give  its  consent,  and  also  its 
love,  136.  The  delights  of  concupiscences 
are  evils,  and  their  thoughts  falses,  206. 
The  delight  of  evil  increases  with  the 
wicked  man,  who  wills  and  does  evil,  296. 
The  delight  of  infernal  love  is  turned  in 
the  other  life  into  what  is  unpleasant,  dolo¬ 
rous,  and  direful,  83.  The  delights  of  in¬ 
fernal  spirits,  340.  How  great  is  the  de¬ 
light  of  the  love  of  dominion  from  the  love 
of  self,  215. 

Deluge. — By  the  deluge  is  described  the 
consummation  of  the  most  ancient  church, 
828. 

Deny,  to. — Those  who  deny  God  in  the 
world  deny  him  after  death,  326.  Those 
who  deny  the  Lord  cannot  be  admitted 
into  heaven,  321.  In  proportion  as  any 
one  denies  tiie  Lord,  he  is  separated  from 
him,  326. 

Desckiption,  short,  of  heaven  and  hell, 
299-306. 

Desolation,  successive,  vastation  of  good, 
and  desolation  of  the  truth  in  the  church, 
until  the  consummation  is  complete,  32S. 

Destruction  of  the  temple  of  Jerusalem, 
signifies  the  vastation  of  the  church,  246. 

Determination  comes  from  what  is  in¬ 
terior  or  superior  to  itself,  88.  The  mind 

282 


cannot  think  and  will  this  or  that  from 
itself,  unless  there  be  something  interior 
or  superior  by  which  it  is  determined  to 
it,  88. 

Devil,  by  the,  is  meant  hell  in  the  -whole 
complex,  204.  There  is  no  particular  devil 
who  is  sole  lord  in  hell,  but  self-love  is  so 
called,  802.  Hell  in  its  form  is  like  a  mon¬ 
strous  man,  whose  soul  is  self-love  and 
self-derived  intelligence,  consequently  the 
devil,  302.  Whether  we  say’  evil,  or  the 
devil,  it  is  the  same  thing,  for  in  all  evil 
there  is  interiorly  the  devil,  233.  Evil  is 
the  devil,  215.  Evil  and  the  devil  are  one, 
and  the  false  of  evil  and  Satan  are  one,  33. 
Those  are  called  satans  who  confirm  them¬ 
selves  in  the  concupiscences  of  evil',  and 
those  devils  who  live  according  to  them, 
310.  Devils  may  understand  the  arcana 
of  wisdom,  but  as  soon  as  they  return  to 
their  diabolical  love  they  do  not  under¬ 
stand  them,  223.  See  Satan ,  obs.  ;  Hell. 

Diastole. — What  it  is,  319. 

Difference  between  those  who  believe 
all  good  to  be  from  the  Lord,  and  those  who 
believe  good  to  be  from  themselves,  93 ; 
between  man  and  beasts,  74,  96,  276  ;  be¬ 
tween  illumination  from  the  Lord,  and  il¬ 
lumination  from  man,  168,  169;  between 
the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for  their 
own  sake,  and  the  love  of  them  for  the 
sake  of  uses,  215. 

Digestion  of  food,  how  it  is  effected,  296. 

Dignities. — What  and  whence  are  dig¬ 
nities  and  riches,  215. 

Dignities  are  natural  and  temporal  in 
their  external  form,  but  spiritual  and  eter¬ 
nal  in  their  internal  form,  220.  Dignities 
and  riches  are  stumbling-blocks  to  the 
wicked-,  but  not  to  the  good,  250. 

Disciple. — By  the  name  of  a  disciple, 
Matt.  x.  42,  is  meant  the  state  of  those  who 
are  in  some  spiritual  truths  of  the  church, 
230. 

Disjunction. — In  proportion  as  any  one 
denies  the  Lord,  he  is  separated  from  him, 
and  disjunction  causes  hell  to  turn  the  face 
of  a  man  to  itself  and  to  lead  him,  826. 

Dissensions  and  Heresies  are  inevitable, 
the  reason  why,  259,  256.  Their  permis¬ 
sion  is  also  according  to  the  laws  of  Divine 
Providence,  259. 

Distance. — The  reason  why  the  Lord  ap¬ 
pears  to  angels  at  a  distance  as  a  sun,  162. 
Distance  is  an  appearance  according  to 
conjunction  with  him,  162.  The  spiritual 
principle  does  not  exist  in  distance  as  the 
natural  does,  312. 

Divine. — The  Divine  principle  is  in  every 
created  thing,  but  with  infinite  variety,  ac¬ 
cording  to  different  uses,  5.  The  Divine 
in  itself  is  in  the  Lord,  but  the  Divine 
from  itself  is  the  Divine  from  the  Lord  in 
things  created,  52.  The  Divine  cannot  be 
appropriated  to  a  man  as  his  own,  but  can 
be  adjoined  to  him,  and  thence  appear  as 
his,  285. 

Divine  Essence,  the,  is  love  and  wisdom, 
46.  See  Essence. 

Divine  Human,  the,  is  the  Divine  which 


INDEX 


Is  called  the  Son,  262.  A  Christian  cannot 
without  difficulty  be  led  to  think  of  a  Di¬ 
vine  human  being,  262. 

Divine  Itself,  the,  is  the  Divine  which 
is  called  the  Father,  262.  The  Divine  Itself 
is  the  Infinite  and  Eternal  in  Itself,  52. 

Divine  Love  and  Wisdom,  the,  proceed 
as  one  from  the  Lord,  4.  They  are  sub¬ 
stance  and  form  in  themselves,  4,  46.  The 
divine  love  is  of  the  divine  wisdom,  and 
the  divine  wisdom  is  of  the  divine  love,  4. 
The  divine  love  created  all  things,  but 
nothing  without  the  divine  wisdom,  3. 
The  divine  love  has  for  its  end  a  heaven 
which  may  consist  of  men  made  angels, 
and  who  are  becoming  such,  27. 

Divine  Proceeding,  the,  is  the  Divine 
which  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  262. 

Do,  to,  the  commandments  is  to  love 
them,  33.  By  doing  uses  or  good,  is  meant 
serving  others,  and  ministering  unto  them, 
215.  Whatever  a  man  thinks  iie  does  from 
himself,  is  said,  to  be  done  from  man,  and 
not  from  the  Lord,  294.  Whatever  a  man 
does  comes  by  influx,  though  derivatively, 
or  mediately,  308. 

Dogmatic. — The  reason  why  spirits,  when 
conversing  with  man,  sometimes  induce 
some  dogmatic  principle  of  religion,  which 
is  never  done  by  any  good  spirit,  still  less 
by  anv  angel  of  heaven,  134,*  135. 

Dominion,  love  of,  when  it  began,  215. 

Door,  the,  John  x.  9,  signifies  the  Lord, 
230.  The  open  and  closed  door,  71.  Self- 
love  keeps  the  door,  in  order  that  it  may 
not  be  opened  by  man,  and  thus  be  driven 
out  by  the  Lord,  210.  Evils  obstruct  and 
close  the  door,  119.  The  Lord  enters  when 
a  man  opens  the  door,  233.  The  door  is 
opened  by  the  man’s  removing  evil,  which 
he  does  by  shunning  and  avoiding  it  as  in¬ 
fernal  and  diabolical,  145,  233.  When  a 
man  opens  the  door  as  from  himself,  the 
Lord  immediately  extirpates  the  concupis¬ 
cences,  119.  The  Lord  continually  urges 
and  presses  that  a  man  may  open  the  door 
to  him,  119. 

Dragon,  the,  signifies  those  who  separate 
faith  from  charity,  258. 

Dwell. — The  Lord  cannot  dwell  with  a 
man  and  angel,  but  in  his  own,  and  not  in 
their  proprium,  53. 

Eagles  signify  men  of  rapine,  who  have 
intellectual  sight,  20. 

Ear,  the,  is  the  form  of  hearing,  279. 
But  little  is  known  concerning  the  mode  in 
which  the  ear  hears.  336.  The  understand¬ 
ing  from  the  will  flows  into  the  ear,  and  not 
only  Constitutes  this  sense,  but  also  uses  it 
as  its  instrument  in  the  natural  world,  314. 

Eat,  to,  of  the  tree  of  knovvle  Ige,  signi¬ 
fies  the  appropriation  of  good  and  truth, 
as  if  good  and  truth  were  from  u  an  and 
not  from  the  Lord,  313,  241,  242.  It  also 
signifies  the  pride  of  self-derived  in  ell i- 
gence,  328  ;  also,  the  knowledge  of  evil,  275. 

Eber,  from,  the  Hebrew  church  had  its 
origrn,  328. 

E.«en,  the  garden  of,  signifies  the  wisdom 

283 


and  intelligence  of  the  men  of  the  most 
ancient  church,  241,  313. 

Effect. — When  the  cause  is  taken  away 
from  the  effect,  the  effect  perishes,  3.  The 
effect  is  called  the  ultimate  end,  1  OS.  Seo 
End. 

Effort  ceasing,  motion  ceases,  3. 

Egypt  was  one  of  the  countries  in  which 
the  ancient  church  existed,  and  where  the 
ancient  Word  was  known.  328. 

Egyptians,  the,  in  the  Word,  signifies  a 
particular  kind  of  evil,  251. 

Elevation  of  the  love,  according  to  de 
grees,  is  not  perceived  except  obscurely  by 
a  man,  whereas  the  ascent  of  wisdom  is 
clearly  perceived  by  those  who  know  and 
see  what  wisdom  is,  34.  Elevation,  as  to 
affection,  would  not  be  possible  if  man  had 
not  the  power  of  elevating  his  understand¬ 
ing  from  rationality,  and  that  of  willing  to 
do  so  from  liberty,  75. 

Embryo,  in  every  human,  the  Lord  forms 
two  receptacles,  one  of  the  divine  love,  and 
the  other  of  the  divine  wisdom— the  recep¬ 
tacle  of  the  divine  love  for  man’s  future 
will,  and  the  receptacle  of  the  divine  wis¬ 
dom  for  his  future  understanding,  324. 

Emerods,  the,  whereby  the  Philistines 
were  smitten,  signifies  natural  loves  which, 
when  separated  from  spiritual  love,  are  un¬ 
clean,  326.  The  golden  emerods  which 
they  made  when  they  sent  back  the  ark, 
signified  natural  loves  purified  and  made 
good,  326. 

End,  primary,  middle  end,  and  ultimate 
end  ;  or  end,  cause,  and  effect,  108.  The 
end  is  the  very  essential  principle  which 
enters  the  cause  and  effect,  108.  The  end 
infuses  all  its  quality  into  the  cause,  and 
through  the  cause  into  the  effect,  108.  It 
joins  itself  with  the  cause,  and  by  the 
cause  with  the  effect,  108.  He  that  wills 
an  end,  also  wills  means,  331.  The  opera¬ 
tion  and  progression  of  the  end  by  its 
means  is  what  is  called  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  331.  Man  may  reason  concerning 
divine  things,  provided  he  has  for  his  end 
that  he  may  sea  the  truth,  219.  End  of 
Divine  Providence,  16,  27,  45.  Ends  of 
creation,  27-45,  323,  332.  Secondary  ends 
of  creation,  332.  See  Cause,  Effect. 

English,  the,  in  general,  do  not  suffer 
themselves  to  be  forced  to  religion.  136. 
Teaching  given  to  the  English  in  the  prayer 
at  the  holy  communion,  114. 

Enmity,  the,  put  between  the  serpent 
and  the  woman,  Gen.  iii.  15,  signifies  the 
enmity  between  man’s  proprium  and  the 
Lord,  or  between  a  man’s  self-derived 
prudence  and  the  Lord’s  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  211.  In  the  proprium  of  man.  there 
is  an  innate  enmity  against  the  Divine 
Providence,  211. 

Enthusiastic  spirits,  who,  from  the  de¬ 
lirium  they  were  in,  called  themselves  the 
Holy  Ghost,  134.  Those  who  are  instructed 
by  influx  what  they  ought  to  believe  and 
to  do,  are  not  instructed  by  the  Lord,  or 
by  any  angel  of  heaven,  but  by  some  spirit 
of  an  enthusiast,  321. 


# 


THE  DITINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Equilibrium  between  heaven  and  hell, 
23.  Every  man  is  kept  in  this  equilibrium 
as  long  as  he  lives  in  the  world,  and  is 
thus  in  the  liberty  of  thinking,  willing, 
speaking,  and  acting,  in  which  he  may  be 
reformed,  23. 

Error  of  the  age  as  to  the  remission  of 
sins,  279.  As  to  immediate  mercy,  and 
momentaneous  salvation,  280. 

Esse,  an.  without existere  is  not  any  tiling, 
11.  See  Existere. 

Essence. — There  is  one  only  essence,  from 
which  are  all  the  essences  that  are  created, 
157.  The  very  divine  essence  is  pure  love, 
337. 

Essentials,  there  are  three,  of  the  church, 
what  they  aro.  259.  There  are  two  essen¬ 
tials,  and  the  same  time  two  universals  of 
religion.  340. 

Eternal,  46-69.  The  eternal  is  no  other 
than  the  divine  existere,  43.  See  Infinite , 
Image. 

Ether.  190. 

Eve. — The  condemnation  of  Eve  signi- 
ies  the  condemnation  of  the  voluntary  pro- 
prium,  313.  See  Adam. 

Evil,  hereditary.  See  Hereditary. 

Evil  and  its  attendant  falsity  serve  for 
the  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others, 
by  equilibrium,  21,  23. 

Evil  is  the  delight  of  the  concupiscence 
of  acting  and  thinking  contrary  to  divine 
order,  279.  There  are  myriads  of  concu¬ 
piscences  which  enter  into  and  compose 
every  evil,  279.  296.  Every  evil  springs 
from  the  love  of  self  and  the  lovs  of  the 
world,  S3.  Evil  and  the  devil  an  one,  33. 
Every  evil  is  followed  by  its  punishment, 
249.  Evils  are  permitted  to  the  end  that 
salvation  may  be  effected,  249,  281.  In 
every  evil  lies  inwardly  concealed  an  ac¬ 
knowledgment  of  nature  and  human  pru¬ 
dence  alone,  205.  There  is  inherent  in 
every  evil  a  hatred  against  good,  233.  Evil 
cannot  be  taken  away  from  any  one  unless 
it  appear,  be  seen,  ond  acknowledged,  183, 

278.  So  long  as  ovils  remain  in  the  con¬ 
cupiscences.  and  thence  in  the  delights  of 
die  love  of  them,  there  is  neither  any  faith, 
charity,  piety,  or  worship,  except  only  in 
externals.  83.  The  evils  of  concupiscences 
of  his  life’s  love  are  perceived  by  man  not 
as  evils,  but  as  delights,  to  which  he  does 
not  pay  any  attention,  296.  In  proportion 
as  evils  are  removed,  they  are  remitted, 

279.  See  Evil  and  False ,  Hereditary . 

Evil  and  False. — Every  thing  evil  and 

false  is  from  hell,  321.  Evil  cannot  exist 
without  its  falsity,  233.  Evil  from  its  de¬ 
light,  and  falsity  from  its  pleasantness,  may 
pe  called  and  thought  good  and  true,  195. 
To  every  one,  that  is  evil  which  destroys 
die  pleasure  of  his  affection,  and  that  false 
which  destroys  the  pleasantness  of  his 
.bought  thence  derived,  195.  Evil  and  its 
/tendant  falsity  serve  for  equilibrium,  re- 
lition,  and  purification,  and  thereby  for  the 
^injunction  of  good  and  truth  in  others,  21. 

Examination,  self. — What  it  is,  278.  It 
*rght  to  be  not  onlv  external,  but  internal 

284 


!  also,  152.  What  internal  examination  !s 
It  is  by  an  examination  of  the  internal  man 
that  the  external  is  essentially  explored, 
152. 

Existere,  the,  without  the  Esse  is  not 
any  thing,  11.  See  Esse. 

Expulsion,  the,  of  Adam  and  Eve  from 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  signifies  the  total  de¬ 
privation  of  wisdom,  313. 

External,  the,  has  its  essence  from  the 
interna],  224.  The  external  is  able  to  ap¬ 
pear  otherwise  than  according  to  its  essence 
from  the  internal,  as  is  the  case  with  hypo¬ 
crites,  224.  The  external  of  a  man’s 
thought  is  in  itself  such  as  it  is  in  its  in¬ 
ternal,  106.  External  things  have  such  a 
a  connection  with  internal  things,  that  in 
every  operation  they  make  one,  180. 

Eye,  the,  in  the  Word  signifies  the  un¬ 
derstanding,  264.  The  eye  is  the  form  of 
the  sight,  279.  The  eye  of  every  one  is 
formed  for  the  reception  of  the"  light  in 
which  he  is,  167.  The  eye  does  not  see  from 
itself,  but  it  is  man’s  mind  or  spirit  which 
there  perceives  such  things  by  the  sense, 
and  thence  is  affected  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  sense,  314.  Men  know  little 
of  the  mode  in  which  the  eye  sees,  336 
The  understanding  from  the  will  flows  into 
the  eye,  and  not  only  constitutes  that  sense, 
but  also  uses  it  as  its  instrument  in  thy 
natural  world,  314. 

Eyes,  the,  correspond  to  wisdom  and  its 
pe-rceptions,  29. 

Face,  the,  is  the  type  of  the  mind,  277 
The  external  face  is  the  appearance,  and 
the  internal  face  is  the  essence,  220,  224. 
The  internal  lies  interiorly  concealed  in  the 
face  of  the  external,  224.  In  the  spiritual 
world  each  one,  as  to  the  face,  appears  such 
as  he  is,  224.  To  see  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  on  the  back  and  not  in  the  face,  is  to 
see  it  after,  and  not  before,  187. 

Faculty,  the,  of  willing,  which  is  called 
liberty,  and  the  faculty  of  understanding, 
which  is  called  rationality,  are  as  it  were 
inherent  in  a  man,  98.  These  two  faculties 
are  from  the  Lord  in  man,  73.  Without 
these  two  faculties  a  man  would  not  have 
will  and  understanding,  and  therefore 
would  not  be  a  man,  96.  He  could  not  be 
conjoined  to  the  Lord,  and  consequently  be 
reformed  and  regenerated,  96,  85  ;  he 
would  not  have  immortality  and  eternal 
life,  96.  These  two  faculties  are  equally 
with  the  wicked  as  with  the  good,  15,  96, 
99,  285.  The  Lord  preserves  these  two 
faculties  inviolable  and  as  sacred,  in  every 
proceeding  of  his  Divine  Providence,  96. 
See  Liberty ,  Rationality . 

Faith  separate  from  charity,  264,  265. 
Blindness  of  those  who  are  in  this  faith, 
115.  The  danger  of  persuasive  faith,  131. 

Fallacies  blind  the  understanding,  175. 
Every  appearance  confirmed  as  a  truth  be¬ 
comes  a  fallacy,  310,  220. 

Falsification,  the,  of  truth  consists  in 
doing  violence  to  Divine  truths,  by  con¬ 
firming  false  principles,  231.  In  the  Word. 


% 


INDEX. 


falsifications  of  truth  are  described  by 
whoredoms,  233.  See  Whoredoms ,  cibs. 

Falsity.  the,  of  evil  is  falsity  in  the  un¬ 
derstanding  from  evils  in  the  will,  and  the 
falsity  which  is  not  the  falsin  of  evil,  is 
the  falsity  in  the  understanding  and  not  in 
the  will,  318.  Falsity  which  is  not  the  fal¬ 
sity  of  evil  may  be  conjoined  with  good,  but 
the  falsity  of  evil  cannot  be  conjoined  with 
good,  318.  The  falsity  of  evil  and  Satan 
are  one,  S3.  Falsity  may  be  confirmed 
more  easily  than  truth,  818.  A  man  calls 
that  false  which  destroys  the  pleasantness 
of  his  thought,  195.  Thoughts  from  con¬ 
cupiscence?  are  raises.  296. 

Families  may  be  distinguished  by  simi¬ 
larity  of  face,  2TT. 

Fantasy. — Insane  ideas,  which  nature, 
though  in  herself  void  of  life,  inspires  into 
the  fantasy  of  self  love.  233. 

Obs. — Fantasy  is  an  appearance  of  per¬ 
ception  ;  it  consists  in  seeing  the  true 
as  false,  and  the  good  as  evil,  also  the 
evil  as  good.  and  the  false  as  true. 
A.  C..  7880. 

Fat  signifies  Divine  good.  231. 

Father. — The  Lord  is  the  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  of  all  meu,  830.  The  Lord  is  the 
only  Father  as  to  life,  and  an  earthly  fa- 
t.:er  i?  only  such  as  to  the  covering  of  life, 

ooO. 

Faext  is  imputed  to  a  man,  and  he  be¬ 
comes  guilty  of  evil,  if  he  knows  the  evil 
and  does  not  shun  it,  294.  Fault  is  not 
with  those  from  whom  the  influx  flows, 
but  with  those  who  receive  it,  for  he  re¬ 
ceives  it  as  Li?  own,  294.  It  is  man's  fault 
if  he  is  not  saved,  327. 

Favor,  to.  evils  and  falses  and  to  do  good, 
do  not  accord,  14. 

Feae.  to.  G-od,  is  to  fear  to  offend  him, 
and  to  offend  him  is  to  sin,  and  this  is  not 
really  of  fear,  but  of  love,  140. 

Feae.  the.  of  God,  in  a  genuine  sense,  is 
no  other  than  love  and  the  fear  of  losing  it, 
136.  Who  those  are  that  have  the  fear  of 
God.  253.  Various  kinds  of  fear  :  fear  of 
the  loss  of  honor  and  of  gain ;  of  the  loss 
of  reputation  ;  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
punishments;  of  infernal  puni?hment ;  of 
the  loss  of  dignity  and  opulence,  139.  Fear 
eio?es  the  interiors  of  the  mind,  139.  No 
ene  is  reformed  in  a  state  of  fear.  139. 

Feex,  to. — All  that  a  man  feels  comes  by 
influx,  303.  Man  knows  but  little  how  the 
eye.  the  ear.  the  nose,  the  tongue,  and  the 
skin  feel.  336.  Why  man  does  not  perceive 
and  feel  any  thing  of  the  operation  of  Di¬ 
vine  Providence,  175,  176. 

FELicrnEs,  the,  of  heaven  cannot  be  de¬ 
scribed  in  words,  though  in  heaven  they 
can  be  perceived  by  the  sense,  89.  Though 
inexpressible,  they  ascend  in  a  similar  de¬ 
gree  wish  wisdom,  39.  These  felicities  enter 
in  proportion  as  a  man  removes  the  con¬ 
cupiscences  of  trie  love  of  evil  and  falsity, 
as  if  of  himself,  39.  These  felicities  rarely 
manifest  tuemse.  ves  in  tiie  world,  because 
a  man  is  then  in  a  natural  state,  and  wliat 
ie  natural  does  not  communicate  with  what 

285 


is  spiritual  by  continuity,  but  by  corre- 
spondence,  41. 

Fermentation  or  Leaven,  in  the  Word 
signifies  the  falsity  of  evil,  2S4. 

Fermentations,  spiritual. — How'  they  are 
effected  in  the  heavens  and  in  the  earths,  25. 

Fibres. — All  the  fibres  and  vessels  of 
those  who  are  in  hell  are  inverted,  296.  Op¬ 
erations  of  the  brain  upon  the  fibres,  ISO. 

Fig-tree. — See  Leaves. 

Finite,  the,  is  not  capable  of  compre¬ 
hending  the  Infinite,  46,  53.  In  what  man¬ 
ner,  nevertheless,  the  finite  can  be  con¬ 
joined  with  the  infinite,  54,  57.  By  finites 
are  meant  all  things  created  from  the  Di¬ 
vine,  and  especiallymen.  spirits,  and  angels, 
52.  A  man  or  an  angel  is  finite,  and  merely 
a  receptacle  which  in  itself  is  dead,  his 
living  principle  being  from  the  proceeding 
Divine,  which  is  joined  to  him  by  con¬ 
tiguity,  and  which  appears  to  him  as  his 
own.  57.  See  Infinite. 

Fire. — With  those  who  are  in  the  love  of 
self  and  the  world,  there  is  more  of  the  fire 
and  ardor  of  performing  uses  than  with 
those  who  are  not  in  that  love  ;  the  reason 
why,  215.  250.  252. 

First  Principles, — The  Lord  governs  the 
universal  world,  from  first  principles,  by 
ultimates,  124.  See  Ultimate*,  Inmost. 

Flatterers,  14,  89,  104,  224. 

Flesh. — By  the  will  of  the  flesh,  John  i. 
13,  is  understood  the  voluntary  proprium 
which  is  evil.  298. 

Flow  in.  to. — Every  thing  flows  from 
heaven  or  from  hell — from  hell  by  permis¬ 
sion.  and  from  heaven  by  the  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  251.  The  w'hole  of  thought  and  at* 
feetion,  even  in  the  infernal  spirits,  flows 
in  from  heaven  ;  but  that  influent  good  is 
there  turned  into  evil,  and  truth  into  falsity. 
Thus  every  thing  into  its  opposite,  288, 
294,  307.  The  spiritual  flows  into  the  nat¬ 
ural,  but  not  the  natural  into  the  spiritual^ 
314. 

Flowers,  the,  of  trees  correspond  to  a 
man's  initiation  into  the  marriage  of  good 
and  true,  832.  The  small  leaves  of  those 
flowers  being  spiritual  truths,  382. 

Force,  to. — The  external  cannot  force 
what  is  internal,  but  the  internal  can  force 
the  external,  129,  136.  To  be  forced  is  not 
to  act  from  liberty  according  to  reason,  but 
from  what  is  not  liberty  and  from  another, 
129.  The  Lord  never  forces  any  one,  43. 
No  one  can  be  forced  to  believe,  129,  136. 
It  is  hurtful  to  force  men  to  Divine  worship 
by  threats  and  punishment,  136.  To  be 
constrained  by  love,  and  by  the  fear  of  los¬ 
ing  it,  is  to  be  constrained  by  one’s  self, 
136.  What  it  is  to  constrain  one’s  self,  147. 
To  constrain  one’s  self  is  neither  contrary 
to  liberty  nor  rationality,  136,  145, 147.  In¬ 
flux  from  the  spiritual  world  does  not  force, 
129.  There  is  an  internal  constraint  and 
an  internal  freedom,  136.  What  constrained, 
and  what  unconstrained  worship  is,  137. 

Force. — The  internal  is  so  averse  to  force 
from  the  external,  that  it  turns  itself  away, 
136. 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Forehead,  the,  corresponds  to  love  and 
its  affections,  29. 

Foreknowledge,  a,  of  the  future  takes 
away  the  essential  human  principle,  which 
consists  in  acting  from  liberty  according  to 
reason,  178,  179.  See  Future. 

Form. — There  is  one  only  form  from 
which  are  all  the  forms  that  are  created, 
157.  Every  form  turns  what  is  influent 
into  its  own  quality,  827.  In  every  form 
what  is  common  and  what  is  particular,  or 
what  is  universal  and  what  is  singular,  by 
a  wonderful  conjunction  act  as  one,  189. 
"Whatsoever  exists  derives  from  its  form 
that  which  is  understood  by  quality,  pre¬ 
dicate,  change  of  state,  relation,  and  the 
like,  4.  The  form  makes  a  one  so  much 
the  more  perfectly  in  proportion  as  the 
things  which  enter  into  it  are  distinct  from 
each  other,  and  nevertheless  united,  4. 
Form  of  heaven,  62,  63.  This  form  is  made 
more  and  more  perfect  to  eternity,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  increase  of  members,  the  union 
becoming  more  perfect  in  proportion  as 
more  enter  the  form  of  Divine  love,  which 
is  the  form  of  forms,  62.  Organic  form  of 
the  mind,  279,  319.  Form  of  government 
of  the  life’s  love,  107.  See  Substance. 

Form,  to. — All  of  the  understanding  and 
will  must  be  formed  by  the  external  before 
it  is  formed  by  the  internal,  136.  All  of 
the  understanding  and  will  being  formed 
first  by  the  things  which  enter  through  the 
senses  of  the  body,  especially  the  sight  and 
hearing,  136. 

Foresight,  the.  of  the  Lord,  is  like  His 
Providence,  continual;  one  does  not  exist 
without  the  other,  67,  333.  "Without  the 
foresight  of  the  Lord,  and  at  the  same  time 
His  Providence,  neither  heaven  nor  hell 
could  subsist,  333. 

Fortune. — What  is  called  fortune  is 
nothing  else  but  Divine  Providence  in  ulti- 
mates,  where,  by  constant  and  inconstant 
things,  it  deals  wonderfully  with  human 
prudence,  and  at  the  same  time  conceals 
itself,  212.  The  Divine  Providence,  which 
is  called  fortune,  is  in  the  smallest  particu¬ 
lars  of  matters,  even  those  which  are 
trifling,  251,  212.  That  which  is  called  the 
fortune  of  war,  is  the  Divine  Providence 
operating  especially  in  the  counsels  and  de¬ 
signs  meditated  by  the  general,  although 
he  at  the  time,  and  afterwards,  may  ascribe 
♦he  whole  to  his  own  prudence,  251.  See 
Accidents. 

Fountain,  the  only,  oflife  is  the  Lord,  292. 

Fountains.  —  Why  the  ancients  conse¬ 
crated  fountains,  255. 

Foxes. — Those  who  are  in  self-derived 
prudence  are  like  foxes,  311. 

Frauds. — Their  origin,  276. 

Freely. — To  will  freely  as  of  himself,  is 
from  the  faculty  given  to  man,  called  lib¬ 
erty,  96.  So  long  as  the  delight  of  the  love 
of  evil  reigns,  a  man  cannot  freely  will  what  I 
is  good  and  true,  85.  Every  man  may 
freely  think  whatever  he  will,  as  well  against 
God  us  in  favor  of  God;  and  he  who  thinks 
against  God  is  rarely  punished  in  the  nat¬ 


ural  world,  because  there  he  is  always  in  a 
state  capable  of  reformation,  but  he  is  pun¬ 
ished  in  the  spiritual  world  after  death,  for 
then  he  can  no  longer  be  reformed,  249, 
278  * 

French. — The  French  nation,  why  it  is 
called  a  noble  nation,  257. 

Friendship,  spiritual,  338. 

Fructifications  and  multiplications  have 
not  failed  in  the  natural  world  from  the 
beginning  of  creation,  and  will  not  fail  to 
eternity,  56.  So  with  men,  affections  can 
be  fructified,  and  perceptions  multiplied 
without  end,  57.  This  faculty  of  fructifi¬ 
cation  and  multiplication  without  end,  or 
to  infinity  and  eternity,  exists  in  things 
natural  with  men,  in  things  spiritual  with 
spiritual  angels,  and  in  things  celestial  with 
celestial  angels,  57. 

Fruits  in  the  "Word,  signify  spiritual 
goods,  332.  The  first  fruits  of  the  spiritual 
marriage  are  like  the  beginnings  of  the 
fruits,  332. 

Future,  all  the,  is  present  to  the  Lord, 
and  all  the  present  is  to  Him  eternal,  383. 
It  is  not  granted  to  any  one  to  know  the 
future,  but  every  one  is  allowed  to  conclude 
concerningthings  to  come  from  reason,  179. 
The  desire  of  foreknowing  the  future  is 
connate  with  most  people,  but  it  derives 
its  origin  from  the  love  of  evil,  it  is  there¬ 
fore  taken  away  from  those  who  believe  in 
Divine  Providence,  179. 

Garden,  241,  313.  See  Eden. 

Garments,  white,  signifies  a  state  of  puri¬ 
fication  from  evils,  279. 

Genesis. — The  learned  have  in  vain  en¬ 
deavored  to  explain  what  is  contained  in 
the  first  chapter,  241.  This  chapter  treats 
of  the  new  creation  or  regeneration  of  the 
man  of  the  most  ancient  church,  241. 

Genii. — The  most  cunning  sort  of  sensual 
men  are  called  genii;  they  have  a  deep  hell 
behind  and  wish  to  be  invisible,  therefore 
they  appear  hovering  about  there  like 
spectres,  which  are  their  fantasies,  810. 

Gentiles,  the,  and  Mahometans,  are  ten 
times  more  numerous  than  Christians,  yet 
among  the  latter  there  are  but  few  who 
lace  religion  in  a  good  life:  what  then  can 
e  greater  madness  than  to  think  that  the 
former  are  condemned,  or  that  a  man  pos¬ 
sesses  heaven  by  his  birth  and  not  by  his 
life,  380.  The  Gentiles  who  have  lived  well 
in  the  world  are  instructed  after  death,  and 
come  into  heaven  more  easily  than  Chris¬ 
tians,  328,  330.  The  Gentile  thinks  more 
of  God  from  religion  in  his  life  than  the 
Christian  does,  322. 

Germans. — Instruction  given  to  them  in 
the  prayer  at  the  holy  communion,  114. 

Glottis. — Its  functions,  279. 

Goats  signify  those  who  separate  faith 
from  charity,  258.  By  the  goats  in  Matt, 
i  xxv.  41-46,  are  meant  those  who  omit  to 
think  of  evil,  and  who  consequently  are 
continually  in  it,  101. 

God  is  one  in  person  and  in  essence,  262, 
263.  This  one  God  is  the  Lord  Jesus 


INDEX. 


Christ,  263,  See  Lord.  I  a  man  mani¬ 
festly  saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would 
either  deny  God  or  make  himself  a  god, 
182.  Those  who  have  transferred  to  them¬ 
selves  all  the  Divine  power,  without  leaving 
any  to  Him,  wish  themselves  to  be  wor¬ 
shipped  as  gods,  257. 

Good  is  the  delight  of  the  affection  of 
acting  and  thinking  according  to  the  Di¬ 
vine  order,  279.  There  are  myriads  of  af¬ 
fections  which  enter  into  every  good  and 
compose  it,  279.  In  all  good  there  is  an 
inherent  love  of  defending  itself  against 
evil,  and  of  removing  the  same  from  it,  233. 
By  good  is  understood  that  which  univer¬ 
sally  comprehends  and  involves  all  things 
of  love,  11.  All  things  appertaining  to 
love  are  called  good  things,  11.  Good  with¬ 
out  relation  to  something  cannot  be  called 
good,  11.  All  good  is  called  good  from  its 
delight  or  beatitude,  324.  The  good  of  life 
or  to  live  well,  is  to  shun  evils  because 
they  are  contrary  to  religion,  therefore 
against  God,  325,  326.  See  Good  and  Truth. 

Ohs. — In  the  works  of  the  author  when 
good  alone  is  spoken  of,  spiritual  good 
is  always  meant ;  if  any  other  good  is 
treated  of,  it  is  called  natural,  civil,  or 
moral  good. 

Good  and  Truth. — Good  appertains  to 
love,  and  truth  to  wisdom,  5,  7.  Love  calls 
all  which  appertains  to  it  good,  and  wis¬ 
dom  calls  all  which  appertains  to  it  truth, 
5.  Every  one  calls  that  good  which  from 
the  love  of  his  will  he  feels  delightful,  and 
that  true  which  from  the  wisdom  of  his 
understanding  he  feels  as  pleasant,  195.  All 
things  in  the  universe  have  relation  to  good 
and  truth,  and  even  to  the  conjunction  of 
good  and  truth,  5,  7,  11.  Good  is  not  any 
thing  unless  united  to  truth,  and  truth  is 
not  any  thing  unless  united  to  good,  11. 
Good  in  the  angels  of  heaven,  and  in  men 
on  the  earth,  is  not  good  in  itself,  except  so 
far  as  it  is  united  to  truth,  and  truth  is  not 
truth  in  itself,  except  so  far  as  it  is  united 
to  good,  10,  14.  By  good  is  understood 
that  which  universally  comprehends  and 
involves  all  things  of  love,  and  by  truth  is 
understood  that  which  universally  compre¬ 
hends  and  involves  all  things  of  wisdom, 
11.  Everything  good  and  true  is  from  the 
Lord,  321.  There  cannot  be  any  good  with¬ 
out  its  truth,  233.  Good  is  to  every  one 
that  which  is  the  delight  of  his  affection, 
and  truth  that  which  is  the  pleasantness  of 
his  thought  thence  derived,  195.  Goods 
and  truths  are  indeed  changes  and  varia¬ 
tions  of  state  in  the  forms  of  the  mind,  but 
these  are  only  perceived,  and  exist  by  their 
delights  and  pleasantnesses,  195.  What 
natural  good  and  truth,  and  what  spiritual 
good  and  truth  are,  312.  See  Marriage. 

Govern,  to. — The  Lord  governs  the  uni¬ 
versal  angelic  heaven  as  one  man  ;  he  gov¬ 
erns  it  as  the  soul  governs  the  body,  163. 
The  Lord  governs  hell  by  opposites,  and 
the  wicked  who  are  in  the  world,  he  gov¬ 
erns  in  hell  as  to  interiors,  but  not  as  to  ex¬ 
teriors,  299,  307. 

287 


Government,  the,  of  the  Divine  love  and 
wisdom  of  the  Lord,  is  what  is  called  the 
Divine  Providence,  2,  285. 

Governments  in  heaven,  217.  S qq Heaven. 

Grain. — There  does  not  exist  in  any  inai. 
one  grain  of  will  or  prudence  that  is  proper 
to  himself,  293. 

Grandfather. — Sometimes  the  face  of 
the  grandfather  returns  in  the  grandchild 
or  great-grandchild,  277. 

Guarding,  by  the,  of  the  way  to  the  tree 
of  life,  Gen.  iii.  24,  the  Lord’s  provident 
care  to  protect  from  violation  the  lioiy 
things  of  the  church  and  the  Word,  is  sig¬ 
nified,  313. 

Guilty. — What  renders  man  guilty  of 
evil,  294. 

Hair  in  the  Word  signifies  the  least  of 
all  things,  159. 

Happy. — A  man  becomes  happier  in  pro¬ 
portion  as  he  is  more  nearly  conjoined  to 
the  Lord,  37. 

Harmonies  are  of  infinite  variety ;  but 
they  would  not  exist  if  the  atmospheres  in 
their  laws  and  the  ears  in  their  form  were 
not  constant,  190. 

Hatreds,  their  origin,  276. 

Heads,  by  the  seven,  of  the  dragon,  Rev. 
xii.  3,  9,  is  signified  craftiness,  310.  The 
serpent’s  head,  Gen.  iii.  15,  is  the  love  of 
self.  211,  241. 

Hear,  to. — All  that  man  hears  comes  by 
influx,  308.  Hearing  cannot  exist  withoir 
its  form,  which  is  the  ear,  279. 

Heart,  the,  signifies  the  affection  whic  . 
pertains  to  the  love  or  will,  80.  By  thi 
heart  is  meant  the  man’s  love,  172.  That 
which  is  not  in  the  heart  perishes  in  the 
understanding,  172.  The  heart  corresponds 
to  the  will,  and  the  lungs  to  the  understand¬ 
ing,  193.  The  pulsation  of  the  heart  is  the 
natural  principle  of  life,  and  the  will  of  the 
mind  the  spiritual  principle  of  life,  193. 
The  heart  conjoins  itself  to  the  lungs,  and 
the  will  to  the  understanding,  193.  Func¬ 
tions  of  the  heart,  279,  296.  The  heart  col¬ 
lects  the  blood,  and  distributes  it,  336. 

Heat  in  the  spiritual  world  is  the  Divine 
love  proceeding  from  the  Lord,  292.  Anal¬ 
ogy  between  the  effects  produced  by  spir¬ 
itual  heat  and  those  produced  by  natural 
heat,  292,  160.  From  the  delights  of  the 
affections,  and  the  pleasantness  of  the  per¬ 
ceptions  and  thoughts,  vital  heat  is  derived, 
195. 

Heaven  is  from  the  human  race,  27.  A 
heaven  proceeding  from  the  human  race  is 
the  great  end  of  creation,  27,  323.  Heaven 
is  not  heaven  from  the  angels,  but  from  the 
Lord,  28.  Heaven  is  a  dwelling  with  the 
Lord  to  eternity,  27.  It  is  conjunction  with 
the  Lord.  28.  Heaven  is  in  the  human 
form,  204.  The  angelic  heaven  before  the 
Lord  is  as  one  man,  64,  254.  Its  descrip¬ 
tion,  60.  63.  It  is  the  image  of  the  Infinite 
and  Eternal,  62.  What  heaven  is  in  gen¬ 
eral  or  in  many,  and  what  heaven  is  in 
particular  or  in  one,  also  what  heaven  is  in 
the  spiritual  world,  and  what  it  is  in  the 


THE  DIVINE  PEOVIDENCE. 


natural  world,  27.  Heaven  is  distinguished 
into  h«  many  general  societies  as  there  are 
organs,  viscera,  and  members  in  a  man,  and 
each  general  society  into  as  many  less  gen¬ 
eral  or  particular  societies,  as  there  are 
larger  parts  in  each  viscus  or  organ,  65. 
The  Lord’s  heaven  in  the  natural  world  is 
called  the  church,  and  an  angel  of  this 
heaven  is  a  man  of  the  church  who  is  con¬ 
joined  to  the  Lord,  30.  Man  by  creation 
is  a  heaven  in  its  least  form,  67.  Those 
who  have  acknowledged  God  and  His  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  constitute  heaven,  205. 
Mahometan  heaven,  255.  Sea  Mahometans. 

Hebrew  Church. — It  was  in  this  church 
founded  by  Eber,  that  sacrificial  worship 
fir^t  originated,  328. 

Hell  consists  of  myriads  of  myriads, 
every  one  there  being  in  a  human  form, 
although  it  be  a  monstrous  one,  and  all  the 
fibres  and  vessels  in  it  inverted,  296.  Hell 
itself  is  in  the  human  form,  but  in  a  mon¬ 
strous  human  form,  204.  A  wicked  man 
is  a  hell  in  the  least  form,  296.  The  uni¬ 
versal  hell  is  arranged  into  societies  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  opposed 
to  the  affections  of  good,  27S.*  Those  who 
have  acknowledged  nature  alone,  and  hu¬ 
man  prudence  alone,  constitute  hell,  205. 
Man  is  in  hell  when  he  is  in  evil,  101.  See 
Devil,  Satan. 

Hereditary  Evil  is  from  parents,  and 
not  from  Adam  and  Eve,  as  is  supposed, 
but  every  one  is  born  into  it  from  his  pa¬ 
rent,  that  parent  from  his  parent,  and  so 
on,  every  one  from  his  own  parent  respec¬ 
tively,  and  thus  it  is  successively  transferred 
from  one  to  another,  by  which  it  is  increased 
and  augmented  abundantly,  and  thus  trans¬ 
mitted  to  posterity,  277,  328.  By  his  hered¬ 
itary  evil  a  man  continually  pants  towards 
the  lowest  hell,  but  the  Lord  by  His  Divine 
Providence  continually  withholds  him,  183. 

Heresies  in  the  Christian  world,  238,  259. 
Every  heresy  may  be  confirmed,  318.  To 
suppose  that  no  one  can  be  saved  but  those 
who  are  born  within  the  church  is  an  in¬ 
sane  heresy,  329,  330.  It  is  a  cruel  heresy 
to  suppose  that  any  of  the  human  race  are 
predestined  to  be  damned,  329,  330. 

Heretic,  a,  cannot  see  his  falsities  ex¬ 
cept  he  admit  the  genuine  truth  of  the 
church,  318. 

Hieroglyphics. — Their  origin,  255. 

Holiness,  spiritual,  which  is  also  the 
spirit  of  truth  proceeding  from  the  Lord, 
is  interiorly  in  every  particular  of  the  lit¬ 
eral  sei  .<*-3  cf  the.  Word,  and  this  holiness 
is  violat  ed  when  the  Word  n  falsified  and 
adulter  «te.l,  231. 

Honors  are  blessings,  ar.d  mey  are  curses, 
216,  217.  Why  the  Lori  permits  the  wicked 
to  be  elevated  to  hoimis,  250.  The  Lord 
never  withholds  a  .nm  Domseekin  y  honors, 
but  from  seeking  them  for  the  sake  of  pre¬ 
eminence,  or  for  the  take  of  self,  1S3.  See 
Dignities ,  Riches. 

Hope. — Whence  a  man  has  what  is  called 
hope,  178. 

Horns,  the  ten,  of  the  dragon,  Apoc.  xii. 

2S8 


3,  signifies  the  power  of  -ersuading  by 
means  of  fallacies,  310. 

House. — In  the  spiritual  world  each  in 
his  society  has  his  own  houso,  which  he 
finds  prepared  for  him  as  soon  as  he  comes 
into  the  society :  he  may  be  in  company 
with  others  out  of  his  house,  but  yet  he 
cannot  dwell  anywhere  but  in  it,  338. 

Human,  the,  with  man,  whence  it  pro¬ 
ceeds,  227.  To  think  from  the  truth  is 
truly  human,  321 ;  and  also  to  think  and 
will  from  God,  293. 

Humanity. — Christians  in  thought  sepa¬ 
rate  the  divinity  of  the  Lord  from  His  hu¬ 
manity,  placing  His  divinity  beside  the 
Father  in  heaven,  and  His  humanity  they 
know  not  where,  255,  262.  Humanity  it¬ 
self  consists  in  the  two  faculties  of  man 
which  are  liberty  and  rationality,  281. 

Humble,  to. — The  Lord  continually  hum¬ 
bles  the  proud,  and  exalts  the  humble,  183. 

Husband. — Why  the  Lord  is  called  the 
husband  in  the  Word,  8. 

Hyperbola. — Angelic  wisdom,  in  com¬ 
parison  with  Divine  wisdom,  is  like  a  right 
line  drawn  about  an  hyperbola,  continually 
approaching  but  never  touching  it,  335. 

Hypocrisies  are  lighter  or  more  grievous 
according  to  confirmations  against  God,  and 
reasonings  exteriorly  in  favor  of  God,  231. 

Hypocrites,  14,  89, 104,  222,  224,  231. 

Idea,  spiritual,  is  of  the  internal  thought, 
natural  idea  of  the  external,  274.  There 
are  abstract  ideas  given  by  which  it  can  be 
seen  that  things  exist,  though  not  what  is 
their  quality,  46. 

Idealists  are  visionaries,  46,  309. 

Idols. — Why  there  are  men  who  worship 
idols,  254. 

Idolaters. — Those  who  confirm  in  them¬ 
selves  the  appearance,  and  not  at  the  same 
time  the  truth,  are  not  able  to  remove  from 
themselves  evils  as  sins,  but  are  all  interior 
idolaters,  for  they  are  worshipers  of  self 
and  the  world.  If  they  have  no  religion 
they  become  worshipers  of  nature,  and 
thus  Atheists ;  but  if  they  have  any  reli¬ 
gion,  they  become  worshipers  oe  men,  and 
at  the  same  time  of  images,  154. 

Idolatries. — Their  origin,  255.  Of  the 
idolatry  which  exists  in  the  Christian 
world,  254. 

Ignorance. — Why  no  person  is  reformed 
in  a  state  of  ignorance,  143. 

Illumination  is  predicated  of  the  under¬ 
standing,  165,  166.  Man  is  taught  by  illu¬ 
mination,  166.  There  is  interior  and  exte¬ 
rior  illumination  from  the  Lord,  and  there 
is  interior  and  exterior  illumination  from 
man,  168.  Interior  illumination  from  the 
Lord  is  that  by  which  a  man  perceives 
whether  what  is  said  be  true  or  not  true, 
and  oxter  or  illumination  is  derived  thence 
in  the  thought,  168.  Interior  illumination 
from  man  is  from  confirmation  alone,  and 
exterior  illumination  from  man  is  from 
science  alone,  168.  Another  sort  of  illumi¬ 
nation,  170.  Illumination  of  Swedenborg, 
135.  Natural  and  rational  illumination  is 


INDEX. 


from  spiritual  light:  this  illumination  is 
called  natural  and  rational,  because  it  is 
spiritual- natural,  166. 

Image  and  likeness  of  God. — What  is 
understood  by  it,  27,  323.  Man  is  an  image 
of  God  by  his  being  a  recipient  of  Divine 
wisdom,  and  a  likeness  of  God  by  his  being 
a  recipient  of  Divine  love.  Therefore  the 
receptacle  which  is  called  the  understand¬ 
ing  is  an  image  of  God,  and  the  receptacle 
which  is  called  the  will  is  a  likeness  of 
God,  328.  The  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
although  seemingly,  are  not  actually  de¬ 
stroyed  in  man  ;  for  they  remain  inherent 
in  his  two  faculties,  called  liberty  and  ra¬ 
tionality,  328.  The  angelic  heaven  is  the 
very  image  and  likeness  of  the  Lord,  163. 
In  the  created  universe  there  is  an  image 
of  man,  and  it  is  an  image  of  what  is  infi¬ 
nite  and  eternal,  therefore  an  image  of  God 
the  Creator;  that  is,  of  the  Lord  from  eter¬ 
nity,  52.  The  divine  love  and  wisdom  of 
the  Lord  exists  in  a  certain  image  in  every 
tiling  created  by  him,  8.  An  image  of  what 
is  infinite  and  eternal  exists  in  the  varie¬ 
ty,  fructification,  and  multiplication  of  all 
tilings,  56.  The  image  of  what  is  infinite 
and  eternal  does  not  exist  in  a  man  except 
in  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth,  58.  As 
far  as  a  man  is  in  ttie  union  or  in  the  mar¬ 
riage  of  good  and  truth,  so  far  is  he  an 
image  and  likeness  of  the  Lord,  8.  The 
image  of  God,  which  consists  in  a  man  be¬ 
ing  able  to  understand  truth  and  to  do 
good,  dwells  in  a  man  of  sound  mind,  and 
is  not  eradicated,  322.  Why  there  are  men 
who  worship  graven  images,  254. 

Image,  the,  which  Nebuchadnezzar  saw 
in  his  dream,  signifies  the  four  churches 
which  succeeded  each  other,  328. 

Immortal,  the,  part  of  man  which  is  his 
mind  is  stripped  naked  by  death,  and  then 
he  becomes  a  spirit  in  a  human  form,  324. 

Immortality. — Why  every  man  has  im¬ 
mortality,  96.  Difference  between  immor¬ 
tality  and  life  eternal,  96.  The  idea  of  the 
ancients  on  the  subject  of  immortality,  324. 
Whence  it  is  that  some  men  aspire  after 
immortal  fame,  274. 

Impeachments,  impious,  of  the  Divinity, 
340. 

Impieties,  all,  and  all  glorying  therein, 
are  permissions,  the  causes  of  which  are 
laws  of  the  Divine  Providence,  249. 

Impious. — Why  the  impious  are  promoted 
to  honor,  made  nobles  and  primates,  abound 
in  wealth,  and  live  elegantly  and  magnifi¬ 
cently,  250. 

Infants,  all,  in  the  spiritual  world  are 
introduced  into  angelic  wisdom,  and  by  it 
into  celestial  love,  by  delights  and  pleas¬ 
antness  from  the  Lord,  136.  Every  one 
that  dies  an  infant  goes  to  heaven,  is  edu¬ 
cated  and  instructed  there  as  a  man  in  the 
world,  and  by  the  affection  of  good  and 
truth  imbibes  wisdom  and  becomes  an 
angel,  824. 

Infinite,  46-49.  The  Infinite  is  no  other 
than  the  Divine  Esse,  48.  There  cannot  be 
an  infinity  of  space,  nor  an  infinity  of  time, 

2b9 


because  that  which  is  infinite  is  without  a 
first  and  last  end,  nr  without  bounds,  48. 
Infinite  and  eternal  is  to  be  thought  of  with¬ 
out  space  and  time,  51.  The  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  in  all  that  it  does,  has  respect  to 
what  is  infinite  and  eternal,  56-69,  202. 
The  infinite  things  of  love  and  of  wisdom 
proceed  from  the  Lord,  and  flow  into  all 
in  heaven,  and  thence  into  all  in  hell,  and 
from  both  into  all  the  world,  294.  See 
Finite ,  Image. 

Influx. — All  that  a  man  thinks  and  wills, 
and  thence  speaks  and  does,  is  by  influx; 
by  influx  from  heaven  if  it  is  good,  and  by 
influx  from  hell  if  it  is  evil,  287,  288,  294, 
307,  303.  Good  is  by  influx  from  the  Lord, 
and  evil  from  the  proprium  of  man,  287. 
There  is  an  influx  of  the  Lord  into  the 
love  of  good  and  its  affections,  and  by 
these  into  the  perceptions  and  thoughts; 
and  there  is  an  influx  of  hell  into  the  love 
of  evil  and  its  affections,  which  are  lusts, 
and  by  these  into  the  perceptions  and 
thoughts,  33.  Those  who  are  instructed 
by  influx  what  they  ought  to  believe  and 
to  do,  are  not  instructed  by  the  Lord,  or 
by  any  angel  of  heaven,  but  bv  some  spirit 
of  an  enthusiast,  321.  All  influx  from  the 
Lord  is  effected  by  illumination  of  the  un¬ 
derstanding,  by  the  affection  of  truth,  and 
by  the  influx  of  the  latter  into  the  former, 
321.  By  influx  from  the  spiritual  world, 
which  does  not  force,  man  is  in  full  liberty 
to  think  and  to  will,  129.  Man  ought  not 
to  hang  down  his  hands  and  wait  for  in¬ 
flux,  200,  210,  321. 

Ingrafting. — A  man  indeed  is  an  evil 
tree  from  the  seed ;  but  yet  there  is  pro¬ 
vided  an  ingrafting  or  inoculation  of 
branches  taken  from  the  tree  of  life,  by 
which  the  juices  drawn  from  the  old  root 
are  converted  into  such  as  produce  good 
fruit,  332,  296. 

Inherent,  50,  98,  233,  274,  281,  317,  328. 

Obs. — That  is  called  inherent  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  from  a  common  or  general  in¬ 
flux.  A.  E .,  955.  Common  influx  is 
the  continual  effort  of  the  Lord  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  life  of  man,  that 
he  may  act  according  to  order.  What 
is  inherent  is  like  an  ingrafting. 

Inherent,  to  be. — With  all  those  who 
have  any  religion,  there  is  an  inherent 
knowledge  that  men  live  after  death,  274. 
A  man  sees  the  mind  of  another  from  his 
face,  and  perceives  his  affections  from  the 
sound  of  his  voice,  without  any  other 
knowledge  than  what  is  inherent  in  every 
one,  317.  See  Inherent ,  obs. 

Inmost,  the,  of  a  man  is  his  life’s  love, 
125.  The  Divine  Providence  operates  from 
the  inmost  and  the  ultimate  principles  of 
man  at  the  same  time,  124,  125,  220.  The 
Lord  acts  from  the  inmost  principles  of  a 
man,  and  upon  the  successive  to  the  ulti¬ 
mate,  125.  The  things  which  are  in  a 
man’s  inmost  principles,  and  in  the  succes¬ 
sive  from  the  inmost  to  the  ultimate,  are 
altogether  unknown  to  him,  125.  The  in¬ 
most  and  intermediate  principles  ure  to- 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


gether  in  the  ultimate-*,  124.  There  is  a 
perpetual  connection  of  the  outmost  with 
the  inmost,  ISO.  See  Outmost. 

Innocence. — In  what  consisted  the  state 
of  innocence  in  which  Adam  and  Eve 
were,  275. 

Insanity. — In  hell  insanity  is  called  wis¬ 
dom,  and  wisdom  insanity,  223. 

Instinct  is  a  result  of  influx,  317. 

Instruct,  to. — Those  who  have  lived 
well  and  acknowledged  God,  are  instruct¬ 
ed  after  death  by  angels,  32S. 

Intelligence. — Opinion  of  the  angels 
concerning  intelligence  in  man,  293.  In¬ 
telligence  appears  to  be  his  own  both  in  a 
good  man  and  in  a  wicked  man,  298.  The 
difference  between  the  intelligence  of  the 
one  and  the  other,  is  like  that  which  is 
thought  to  exist  in  itself,  and  that  which  is 
thought  not  to  exist  in  itself,  but  as  if  in 
itself,  298.  Self-derived  intelligence  can 
induce  the  human  form  only  in  externals, 
but  the  Divine  Providence  induces  it  in 
internals,  and  through  internals  in  exter¬ 
nals,  298.  See  Conceit. 

Intelligent. — None  are  intelligent  but 
those  who  perceive  truth  to  be  truth,  and 
confirm  the  same  by  truths  continually 
perceived,  318. 

Intention. — To  think  from  intention  is 
to  will  and  to  do,  152.  Intentions  are 
thoughts  from  the  will,  152. 

Interiors. — By  a  man’s  interiors  is  meant 
the  internal  of  his  thought,  of  which  he 
does  not  know  any  thing  before  he  comes 
into  the  spiritual  world  and  its  light,  which 
is  the  case  after  death,  233.  In  a  man’s 
interiors  there  cannot  exist  evil  and  at  the 
same  time  good,  nor  consequently  the  false 
of  evil  and  at  the  same  time  the  truth  of 
go#d,  233.  In  the  interiors  of  the  mind  of 
man  there  are  infinite  things  which  cannot 
be  determined  by  numbers,  199.  The 
Lord  alone  regulates  the  interiors  of  the 
mind  of  man  by  his  Divine  Providence, 
199. 

Intermediates,  the,  of  man  are  the 
things  which  are  in  the  internal  of  his 
thought,  125.  Intermediate  principles  de¬ 
pend  successively  upon  the  inmost  even  to 
the  ultimate,  and  in  ultimate  principles 
they  exist  altogether,  125. 

Internal. — By  the  internal  of  the  will 
and  the  internal  of  the  understanding  are 
meant  nothing  else  but  the  internal  man, 
103.  There  exists  internal  constraint  and 
internal  liberty,  136.  Internal  constraint  is 
an  internal  that  man  has  in  common  with 
the  beasts;  the  human  internal  resides 
above  the  animal  internal,  and  cannot  be 
forced,  136.  The  external  cannot  con¬ 
strain  the  internal,  but  the  internal  can 
constrain  the  external,  136.  Man  is  only 
in  some  externals  with  the  Lord ;  if  he 
were  at  the  same  time  in  internals,  he 
would  pervert  and  destroy  all  the  order 
and  tenor  of  the  progress  of  the  Divine 
Providence,  180.  As  a  man  disposes  ex¬ 
ternals,  the  Lord  disposes  internals,  181. 
bee  Bo<ly,  Externals. 

290 


1  intestines.— Their  functions,  279,  29A 
ISO. 

Invocation  of  dead  men,  257. 

Israelites,  the,  were  introduced  into  the 
land  of  Canaan  merely  that  they  might 
represent  a  church  and  its  internal  princi- 
|  pies,  by  the  external  things  of  worship, 
132. 

Jehovah. — The  Lord  is  Jehovah,  157. 

Jest. — Profanation  is  committed  by  those 
who  jest  from  the  Word,  and  concerning 
the  Word,  231. 

Jesuits,  222. 

Jesus. — In  the  spiritual  world  where 
every  one  is  obliged  to  speak  as  he  thinks, 
no  one  can  even  name  Jesus,  unless  he 
has  lived  in  the  world  as  a  Christian,  262. 
No  one  can  even  utter  the  name  Jesus, 
but  from  the  Lord,  53. 

Jews,  by  the,  in  the  Word,  are  meant 
all  who  are  of  the  church  and  acknowl¬ 
edge  the  Lord,  260.  What  was  the  end 
which  the  Divine  Providence  had  in  view 
in  preserving  the  Jews  and  scattering 
them  over  a  great  part  of  the  earth,  260. 
If  they  persevere  in  denying  the  Lord’s  di¬ 
vinity,  it  is  because  they  are  of  such  a  dis=- 
position,  that  if  they  were  to  receive  and 
acknowledge  the  Lord's  divinity  and  tho 
holy  things  of  the  church,  they  would  pro¬ 
fane  them,  260.  Why  the  Jews  were  per¬ 
mitted  to  crucify  the  Lord,  247.  It  is  easy 
to  tell  by  seeing  the  face  only  whether  a 
person  is  a  Jew  or  not,  277. 

Joy. — Every  one  who  is  received  into 
heaven,  enters  into  the  supreme  joy  of  his 
heart,  and  greater  than  that  he  cannot  sup¬ 
port,  254. 

Judaism. — Why  Judaism  still  continues, 
260. 

Judge,  the  unjust,  109,  168,  296. 

Judgment,  the  last,  is  now  accomplish¬ 
ed,  263. 

Judgments,  all  the,  of  the  Israelitish 
and  Jewish  Churches  represented  spiritual 
things  of  the  church,  which  are  its  inter¬ 
nals,  245. 

Kidneys,  the. — Their  organization,  180, 
279.  The  kidneys  separate  the  blood  from 
impure  humors,  296. 

Kindle,  to. — All  evil  which  does  not  ap¬ 
pear,  kindles  itself,  beingr  like  fire  among 
wood  under  the  ashes,  278.* 

King,  the,  with  the  Israelitish  and  Jew¬ 
ish  nations  represented  the  Lord,  245. 
Why  many  kings  were  permitted  to  pro¬ 
fane  the  temple  and  the  holy  things  of  the 
church,  246. 

Kingdom,  the,  of  the  Lord  is  a  kingdom 
of  uses,  26,  250.  In  Christendom  there  are 
kingdoms  which  represent  the  nations  with 
which  the  children  of  Israel  waged  war, 
251. 

Knowledges  are  like  instruments  in  the 
hands  of  artificers,  96. 

Lamps  signify  the  truths  of  faith,  328 

Larynx,  its  functions,  279,  180. 


INDEX. 


•jAW3  of  Divine  Providence.  70-190.  The 
D  d  cannot  act  against  the  laws  of  Divine 
Providence,  because  to  act  against  them 
would  be  to  act  against  Himself,  331. 
Whatever  is  done  to  the  end  that  salvation 
may  be  effected  is  according  to  the  laws  of 
the  Divine  Providence,  234.  The  laws  of 
permission  are  al-o  the  laws  of  Divine 
Providence,  234.  All  the  laws  of  the  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  are  necessities,  249.  See 
Providence. 

Leaven  in  the  Word  signifies  the  false 
of  evil,  234.  See  also  25. 

Leaves  in  the  Word  signify  natural 
truths,  832.  Bv  the  fig-leaves  with  which 
Adam  and  Eve  covered  their  nakedness, 
are  signified  moral  truths,  under  which 
were  concealed  the  things  appertaining  to 
their  love  and  pride,  313.  See  Tree. 

Led,  to  be. — How  man  is  led  by  the 
Lord,  154-174.  The  sign  that  any  one  is 
led  by  the  Lord  is,  that  he  loves  his  neigh¬ 
bor,  20S.  Those  who  respect  God  in  their 
lives  and  do  no  evil  to  their  neighbor  are 
led  by  the  Lord,  253  ;  and  are  elevated 
above  their  proprium,  316.  Those  who 
acknowledge  nature  and  their  own  pru¬ 
dence,  are  like  infernal  spirits,  who  dislike 
to  be  led  of  the  Lord,  and  love  to  be  led  of 
themselves.  208. 

Legate  discuss" ng  With  two  priests  in 
the  spriritual  world  concerning  human 
prudence,  197. 

Leibnitz,  289. 

Liberty  is  the  faculty  of  thinking,  will¬ 
ing,  speaking  and  doing,  according  to  the 
understanding,  15,  73,  96,  SS,  227,  285. 
Liberty  is  given  to  man  by  the  Lord  alone, 
73,  219.  Man  is  in  full  liberty  to  think  and 
to  will,  but  not  in  full  liberty  to  speak  and 
act  whatever  he  thinks  and  wills,  281. 
Unless  a  man  had  full  liberty,  he  not  only 
would  not  be  saved,  but  would  even  totally 
perish,  281.  See  Liberty  and  Rationality. 
All  liberty  is  of  love,  insomuch  that  love 
and  liberty  are  one,  73.  Liberty  like  love 
cannot  be  separated  from  volition,  89. 
There  is  infernal  liberty,  and  there  is  ce¬ 
lestial  liberty ;  to  think  and  to  will  evil  is 
infernal  liberty,  and  to  think  and  to  will 
good  is  celestial  liberty,  43.  Celestial  lib¬ 
erty  is  liberty  itself,  149.  There  are  in 
general  three  kinds  of  liberty,  natural,  ra¬ 
tional,  and  spiritual,  73.  Every  man  has 
by  birth  natural  liberty,  under  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  which  he  loves  nothing  but  himself 
and  the  world,  73.  Rational  liberty  is 
grounded  in  the  love  of  tame,  for  the  sake 
of  honor  or  interest,  73.  Spiritual  liberty 
is  grounded  in  the  love  of  eternal  life,  73. 
A  man  derives  all  liberty  from  his  love,  43. 
Whatsoever  a  man  does  from  freedom  he 
perceives  as  his  own,  43.  Every  man 
wishes  to  be  free,  and  to  remove  slavery 
from  himself,  148.  It  is  a  law  of  Divine 
Pro  /idence  that  man  should  act  from  free¬ 
dom  according  to  reason,  71,  97,  123,  176. 
A  man  has  liberty  of  reason  from  this  cir¬ 
cumstance,  that  he  is  in  the  midst  between 
heaven  and  the  world,  and  can  think  from 


heaven  and  from  the  world,  also  from 
heaven  concerning  the  world,  and  from  the 
world  concerning  heaven,  142.  To  act 
from  liberty  according  to  reason,  and  to 
act  from  liberty  and  rationality,  is  the  same 
thing,  97.  It  is  one  thing  to  act  from  lib¬ 
erty  according  to  reason,  and  another  to  act 
from  liberty  itself  according  to  reason  it¬ 
self,  97,  98.  Those  only  who  have  suffered 
themselves  to  be  regenerated  by  the  Lord, 
act  from  essential  liberty,  according  to  es¬ 
sential  freedom;  all  others  act  from  liberty 
according  to  their  thought  which  they 
make  like  reason,  98.  Who  those  are  to 
whom  essential  freedom  or  essential  liber¬ 
ty,  and  at  the  same  time  essential  reason 
or  essential  rationality,  cannot  be  given, 
and  those  to  whom  they  are  given  with 
difficulty,  98,  99.  To  act  from  the  delight 
of  love  is  to  act  from  liberty,  and  when 
reason  favors  the  love,  it  is  also  to  act  ac¬ 
cording  to  reason,  85.  Man  is  continually 
led  by  the  Lord  in  freedom,  and  is  also  re¬ 
formed  and  regenerated  in  freedom,  43, 
85.  Internal  and  external  liberty,  73.  Why 
we  are  ignorant  what  spiritual  liberty  is, 
149. 

Liberty  and  Rationality. — See  Facul¬ 
ties.  These  two  faculties  are  as  it  were  in 
herent  in  man,  for  the  essential  human 
principle  resides  iw  them,  98.  Every  man 
has  liberty  and  rationality,  and  every  one 
may  come  into  essential  liberty  and  ration¬ 
ality  if  he  shuns  evils  as  sins,  99  ;  but  the 
adult  who  in  the  world  does  not  come  into 
them,  cannot  come  into  them  after  death, 
99.  See  Liberty. 

Lies. — Their  origin,  276. 

Life. — There  is  on*,  only  fountain  of  life, 
which  is  the  Lord,  292,  SOS.  Man  is  a  re¬ 
cipient  of  life,  308.  Life  itself  from  which 
is  the  life  of  all  things,  is  the  divine  love 
and  divine  wisdom  of  the  Lord,  157,  174. 
Life  appears  in  man  in  such  a  similitude 
as  if  it  were  his  own,  consequently  proper 
to  himself,  308.  The  life  of  man  is  his 
love,  83.  The  Lord  flows  into  the  life’s 
love  of  every  one,  and  by  his  affections  in¬ 
to  his  perceptions  and  thoughts,  and  not 
vice  versa ,  33.  The  life  of  every  one  must 
be  his  own,  no  one  living  in  a  life  foreign 
to  his  own,  227.  The  life  forms  to  itself 
doctrine,  and  forms  to  itself  faith,  101.  In 
the  Word,  life  in  heaven  is  called  life  ever¬ 
lasting,  and  also  simply  life,  and  this  life 
is  also  eternal  happiness,  324.  Without 
liberty  and  rationality  man  would  not 
have  eternal  life,  96.  The  life  of  the 
wicked  is  from  the  same  origin,  160.  The 
life  of  animals  is  a  life  of  affection,  merely 
natural,  with  its  concomitant  conscience  ; 
it  is  a  mediate  life  corresponding  to  tee 
life  of  those  which  are  in  the  spiritual 
world,  161,  74,  96. 

Light. — There  is  spiritual  light  and  there 
is  natural  light,  both  alike  as  to  externa] 
appearance,  but  unlike  as  to  internal,  inn. 
Spiritual  light  in  its  essence  is  the  divine 
truth  of  the  Lord’s  divine  wisdom,  317.  It  is 
this  light  which  enlightens  the  human  nr- 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


derstanding,  166,  317.  Natural  light,  is  from 
the  sun  of  this  world,  and  thence  in  itself 
void  of  life  ;  but  spiritual  light  is  from  the 
sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  thence  in  it¬ 
self  living,  166.  There  are  three  degrees  of 
light  in  the  spiritual  world — celestial  light, 
spiritual  light,  and  spiritual-natural  light ; 
celestial  light,  or  that  of  the  third  heaven, 
is  a  ruddy,  flaming  light ;  spiritual  light, 
with  those  of  the  middle  heaven,  is  a  white, 
shining  light;  and  spiritual-natural  light, 
is  such  as  is  the  light  of  day  in  our  world, 
and  is  with  those  who  are  in  the  lowest 
heaven,  and  in  the  world  of  spirits,  166. 
The  light  in  hell  is  also  of  three  degrees, 
the  light  in  the  lowest  hell  being  like  the 
light  of  burning  coals ;  the  light  in  the 
middle  hell  like  that  from  the  flame  of  a 
wood  fire;  and  the  light  in  the  highest 
hell  like  the  light  of  candles,  and  to  some 
like  the  light  of  the  moon  by  night,  167. 
All  the  light  of  the  spiritual  world  has 
nothing  in  common  with  that  of  the  natu¬ 
ral  world,  they  being  as  different  as  life 
and  death,  166,  169.  It  is  not  easy  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  between  the  light  of  confirmation 
and  the  light  of  the  perception  of  truth,  318. 
Nevertheless  the  difference  is  as  great  as 
between  the  light  of  infatuation  and  genu¬ 
ine  light,  318.  The  light  of  infatuation 
m  the  spiritual  world  is  such,  that  it 
is  changed  into  darkness  when  genuine 
light  flows  in,  318.  In  the  Word,  those 
who  are  in  truths,  are  said  to  walk  in  the 
light,  and  are  called  the  children  of  light, 
318.  Who  those  are  who  are  meant  by 
the  devils,  who  pretend  to  be  angels  of 
light,  223. 

Likeness. — See  Image. 

Lips. — Their  functions,  279. 

Live,  to. — Man  lives  from  the  Lord  alone, 
and  not  from  himself,  156,  157.  Without 
the  appearance  that  a  man  lives  from  him¬ 
self  he  would  not  be  a  man,  156.  Man  lives 
as  a  man  after  death,  274.  To  live  well,  or 
the  good  of  life,  is  to  shun  evils  because 
they  are  contrary  to  religion,  therefore 
against  God,  325,  326. 

Liver. — Its  organization,  180,  279.  It 
elaborates  the  blood,  336. 

Lobes  of  the  lung,  319. 

Look  at,  to. — The  Lord  looks  at  the  an- 
srels  in  the  forehead,  and  the  angels  direct 
their  eyes  towards  the  Lord,  29.  The  more 
interiorly  any  object  is  inspected,  the  more 
wonderful,  perfect,  and  beautiful  are  the 
things  seen  in  it,  6. 

Lord,  the,  is  the  only  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  330.  The  Lord  is  perfect  man,  65. 
How  the  Lord  is  the  Divine  Truth  of  the 
Divine  Good,  172.  The  Lord  is  the  Word, 
because  it  is  from  Him  and  concerning 
Him.  172,  That  the  Lord  alone  is  heaven, 
29.  The  Lord  is  not  in  heaven  among  the 
angels,  or  with  them  as  a  king  in  His  king¬ 
dom  ;  as  to  appearance  in  the  sun  there, 
He  is  above  them,  but  as  to  the  life  of  their 
jove  and  wisdom,  He  is  in  them,  31.  The 
jjord,  for  the  sake  of  reception  and  con¬ 
junction,  wills  that  whatsoever  a  man  does 

292 


freely  according  to  reason,  may  appear  to 
him  as  his  own,  77.  The  Lord  alone  causes . 
every  one  to  think  and  will  according  to 
his  quality,  and  according  to  the  laws  o! 
His  Providence,  294.  A  man  is  led  of  the 
Lord  by  influx,  and  taught  by  illumination, 
165,  166.  When  a  man  is  taught  from  the 
WTord,  he  is  taught  from  the  Lord,  172. 

Obs. — In  all  the  writings  of  our  author, 
by  the  Lord  is  meant  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  who  is  the  one 
and  only  Lord. 

Lot. — Why  a  man  does  not  know  what 
will  be  his ‘lot  after  death,  179.  Those 
who  believe  in  Divine  Providence  have 
confidence  that  the  Lord  will  appoint  their 
lot,  hence  they  do  not  desire  to  foreknow 
it,  179.  The  life  of  every  one  continues 
with  him,  and  thence  is  'his  lot,  because 
the  lot  is  of  the  life,  179. 

Love,  the,  is  the  life  of  man,  13.  Love 
is  as  the  fire  of  life,  from  which  is  the  light 
of  life,  167.  The  life’s  love  of  no  one  can 
exist  without  derivations  which  are  called 
affections,  106.  The  life’s  love  produces 
from  itself  subordinate  loves,  which  are 
called  affections,  194.  The  life’s  love, 
which  is  also  the  governing  love,  remains 
with  every  one  after  death  and  cannot  be 
removed,  231.  The  life’s  love  of  every  one 
makes  to  itself  an  understanding  and  so 
also  a  light,  167.  Love  pertains  to  the 
will,  136.  The  love  of  the  will  flows  into 
the  understanding,  there  causing  its  light 
to  be  felt ;  hence  it  comes  into  the  thoughts 
and  also  into  the  intentions,  281.  The  love 
of  the  will  infuses  into  the  understanding 
whatever  it  chooses,  but  not  vice  versa ,  297. 
The  love  of  the  will  forms  faith  to  itself, 
136.  Love  dwells  in  its  affections  as  a 
master  in  his  domain,  or  as  a  king  in  his 
kingdom,  106.  Love  wishes  to  communi¬ 
cate  its  own  to  another,  324.  Pure  love  is 
the  Divine  Essence  which  operates  by  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  337.  Celestial  love  and 
infernal  love.  Celestial  love  is  love  to  the 
Lord  and  towards  the  neighbor,  and  in¬ 
fernal  love  is  the  love  of  self  and  of  the 
world,  106,  107,  199.  Love  of  self,  what  it 
is,  206,  215.  Self-love,  which  is  the  head 
of  all  evils,  is  more  ingenious  than  other 
loves  in  adulterating  goods  and  falsify¬ 
ing  truths,  233.  The  man  who  subdues 
this  love  subdues  easily  all  other  loves, 
146.  Spiritual  love  is  such  that  it  wishes 
to  give  what  it  has  to  another,  and  in  pro¬ 
portion  as  it  can  do  this,  it  is  in  its  esse,  in 
its  peace,  and  in  its  blessedness,  27.  The 
love  in  which  man  was  created  is  J.e  love 
of  his  neighbor,  that  he  may  wish  him  as 
well  as  he  wishes  himself,  and  even  better, 
and  that  he  may  be  in  the  delight  of  that 
love,  when  he  does  good  to  him,  275.  This 
love  is  truly  human,  275.  When  the  love 
of  the  neighbor  was  turned  into  the  love 
of  self,  and  this  latter  increased,  then  hu¬ 
man  love  was  turned  into  animal  love,  276. 
Love  of  means,  109,  110.  What  is  the  na¬ 
ture  of  the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for 
their  own  sake,  and  what  the  nature  of  the 


INDEX. 


love  of  them  for  the  sake  of  use,  215. 
These  two  loves  are  as  distinct  from  each 
other  as  heaven  and  hell,  215.  Conjugial 
love  is  spiritual  celestial  love  itself,  144. 
Love  and  liberty  are  one,  73.  To  act  from 
love  is  to  act  from  liberty,  48.  See  Liberty. 

Love,  to,  God  is  to  obey  the  precepts  of 
His  law,  326.  What  it  is  to  love  the  Lord 
above  all  things,  and  our  neighbor  as  our¬ 
selves,  94. 

Love  and  Wisdom. — Love  is  the  esse  of 
wisdom,  and  wisdom  is  the  quality  of  love, 
13.  Love  in  its  form  is  wisdom,  13. 
Love  without  wisdom  cannot  do  any  thing, 
nor  wisdom  without  love,  3,  4.  Love  calls 
all  which  appertains  to  it  good,  and  wisdom 
calls  all  which  appertains  to  it  truth,  5. 
Love  pertains  to  the  will,  and  wisdom  to 
the  understanding,  136.  Love  and  wisdom 
enter  into  a  man  by  his  face,  and  not  by  the 
hinder  part  of  the  head,  95.  Love  and 
wisdom  are  neither  in  space  nor  time,  49. 
How  love  is  conjoined  to  wisdom,  28. 

Lowing,  the,  of  the  Line  in  the  way, 
1  Sam.  vi.,  signifies  the  difficult  conversion 
of  the  concupiscences  of  evil  in  the  natural 
man  into  good  affections,  326. 

Lucifer,  by,  Isaiah  xiv.,  is  meant  Babel ; 
that  is,  the  profanation  of  good  by  those 
who  attribute  to  themselves  things  divine, 
231,  257. 

Lukewarm,  the,  Kev.  iii.  14,  15,  signifies 
profaners,  231,  296, 

Luminous. — In  the  spiritual  world  there 
appears  sometimes  something  luminous 
about  the  head,  or  about  the  mouth,  and 
above  the  chin,  169. 

Lungs,  the,  correspond  to  the  under¬ 
standing,  193.  The  lungs  decant  the  blood, 
336,  296.  Changes  and  variations  of  state 
of  the  lungs,  in  speaking  and  singing,  279. 
Disease  of  the  lungs,  whence  it  arises,  ISO. 
See  Heart. 

Luther  confessed  that  when  he  estab¬ 
lished  Solifidianism,  he  was  warned  by  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  not  to  do  it:  the  reason 
why  he  did  not  obey  the  injunction,  258. 

Machiavelists,  310. 

Mahometan  Keltgion,  the,  was  raised 
up  by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord, 
255.  Why  this  religion  has  been  received 
by  so  many  empires  and  kingdoms,  255. 

Mahometans,  all  the,  who  acknowledge 
the  Lord,  and  at  the  same  time  live  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  commandments  of  the  Deca¬ 
logue,  which  they  also  possess,  by  shunning 
evils  as  sins,  are  received  into  that  heaven 
which  is  called  the  Mahometan  heaven, 
255. 

Mammon,  by  the,  of  unrighteousness 
Luke  xvi.  8,  9,  are  meant  the  knowledges 
of  things  good  and  true  which  the  wicked 
possess,,  and  which  they  use  solely  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  to  themselves  digni¬ 
ties  and  riches,  250. 

Man  is  the  form  of  his  own  love,  319. 
Man  by  creation  is  a  heaven  in  its  least 
lorm,  and  thence  an  image  of  the  Lord, 
67 ;  but  by  birth  a  man  is  like  a  little  hell, 

293 


251,  296.  If  a  man  were  born  in  the  love  in 
which  he  was  created,  he  would  not  be 
in  any  evil,  nor  indeed  would  he  know 
what  evil  is:  he  would  be  born,  not  in 
the  darkness  of  ignorance,  but  in  a  cer¬ 
tain  light  of  knowledge,  and  thence  also  of 
intelligence,  275.  He  alone  is  man  who 
is  interiorly  such  as  he  desires  to  be 
thought  by  others,  2i>8.  A  wicked  man  is 
a  hell  in  its  least  form,  as  a  good  man  is  a 
heaven  in  its  least  form,  296,  299,  306. 
Every  man  with  respect  to  his  spirit  is  in 
some  society  of  the  spiritual  world, — a 
wicked  man  in  some  infernal  society,  and 
a  good  man  in  some  celestial  society;  he 
also  appears  there  sometimes  when  he  is  in 
deep  meditation,  296.  In  the  celestial  or 
grand  man,  of  which  the  Lord  is  the  life 
or  soul,  there  are  all  things  which  are  in  a 
natural  man,  with  that  difference  which 
exists  between  things  celestial  and  natural, 
326.  Every  man  is  both  in  evil  and  in 
good ;  for  he  is  in  evil  from  himself,  and 
in  good  from  the  Lord,  and  he  cannot  live 
unless  he  is  in  both;  the  reason  why,  227. 
Every  man  lives  as  a  man  after  death,  274. 
Every  man  whilst  he  lives  in  this  world  is 
kept  in  equilibrium  between  heaven  and 
hell,  and  thus  in  the  liberty  of  thinking, 
willing’,  speaking,  and  acting,  in  which  lib¬ 
erty  he  may  be  reformed,  23.  Man  ought 
to  do  good  and  think  truth  as  from  him¬ 
self,  but  still  to  acknowledge  that  they  are 
from  the  Lord,  116.  Man  knows  his 
thoughts,  and  thence  his  intentions,  be¬ 
cause  he  sees  them  in  himself,  197.  If  a 
man  believed,  as  is  the  truth,  that  every 
thing  good  and  true  is  from  the  Lord,  and 
every  thing  evil  and  false  from  hell,  he 
would  neither  appropriate  to  himself  good, 
and  make  it  meritorious,  nor  would  he 
appropriate  to  himself  evil,  and  make  him¬ 
self  guilty  of  it,  320.  If  a  man  manifestly 
saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he  would  in¬ 
terfere  with  the  order  and  tenor  of  iis  pro¬ 
gress,  and  pervert  and  destroy  it,  180.  A 
man  is  not  admitted  interiorly  into  the 
truths  of  wisdom  and  goods  of  charity,  ex¬ 
cept  so  far  as  he  can  be  kept  in  them  to 
the  end  of  life,  221.  Why  it  was  not 
known  heretofore  that  man  lives  as  a  man 
after  death,  and  why  this  was  not  discov¬ 
ered  till  now,  274.  Correspondence  of  the 
life  of  man  with  the  vegetation  of  a  tree; 
parallel  or  comparison  drawn,  332.  By  the 
will  of  man,  John  i.  13,  is  meant  the  intel¬ 
lectual  proprium,  which  is  the  false  of  evil, 
298. 

Man's  Own. — What  does  not  appear  as 
man’s  own  cannot  be  made  of  his  love, 
and  so  appropriated  as  his  own,  43. 

Marriage,  the,  of  good  and  truth  is  the 
same  thing  as  the  union  of  love  and  wis¬ 
dom,  7.  The  marriage  of  good  and  truth 
is  from  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  with  the 
church,  and  the  latter  from  the  marriage 
of  love  and  wisdom  in  the  Lord,  21,  8. 
Since  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth  ex¬ 
isted  by  creation  in  every  created  thing, 
and  since  this  was  afterwards  separated, 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


the  Lord  must  operate  continually  that  it 
may  be  restored,  9.  This  marriage  has 
been  broken  by  the  separation  of  faith 
from  charity,  22.  In  the  Word,  and  in  all 
and  everything  of  the  Word,  there  is  a 
marriage  of  good  and  truth,  21.  The  con¬ 
junction  of  the  Lord  with  the  church  and 
of  the  church  with  the  Lord  is  called  the 
celestial  and  spiritual  marriage,  28,  83. 
There  exists  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth 
in  the  cause,  and  there  exists  a  marriage 
of  good  and  truth  from  the  cause  in  the 
etfect,  12.  Marriage  of  evil  and  of  the 
false,  29S. 

Masses. — The  Divine  Providence  has 
permitted  that  the  Roman  Catholic  should 
place  the  sanctity  of  worship  in  masses 
not  understood  by  the  vulgar;  the  reason 
why,  257. 

Means,  the,  of  Divine  Providence  are  all 
those  things  by  virtue  of  which  a  man  is 
made  man,  and  perfected  with  respect  to 
his  understanding  and  will,  335.  These 
means  are  infinite  in  number  and  variety, 
335.  The  means  by  which  man  is  led  to 
the  Lord,  221,  249.  Means  of  separation, 
of  purification,  of  withdrawal  and  expul¬ 
sion  of  evil,  296.  Means  of  salvation,  329. 

Mediately. — What  is  effected  mediately 
by  preaching  does  not  take  away  the  im¬ 
mediate  teaching  of  the  Lord,  172. 

Meditation. — When  man  is  in  profound 
meditation,  he  sometimes  appears  as  to  his 
spirit  in  a  society  in  the  spiritual  world, 
2y6. 

Melancthox,  50. 

Membranes,  the,  of  the  grand  man  or  of 
heaven  are  constituted  of  those  to  whom 
the  gospel  cannot  reach,  but  only  some  re¬ 
ligion,  254. 

Memory  is  the  permanent  state  of  the 
changes  of  state  and  of  form  in  the  purely 
organic  substances  of  the  mind,  279. 
When  truths  are  only  in  the  understand¬ 
ing  and  thence  in  the  memory,  they  are 
not  within  the  man  but  without  him,  233  ; 
the  memory  of  a  man  compared  to  the  ru- 
minatory  stomach  in  which  certain  animals 
deposit  their  food,  233.  So  long  as  the 
food  is  there  it  is  not  within  their  body, 
but  without  it,  but  as  soon  as  they  bring  it 
up  thence  and  swallow  it,  it  enters  into  the 
life  and  nourishes  the  body,  233.  In 
man’s  memory,  there  is  not  only  materials 
but  spiritual  food,  namely  truths,  and  this 
food  in  itself  consists  of  knowledges,  233; 
in  proportion  as  the  man  by  the  exercise 
of  his  thinking  principle  takes  in  thence, 
his  spiritual  mind  is  nourished,  233.  Man 
lias  an  external  or  natural,  and  an  internal 
or  spiritual  memory,  227.  This  memory  is 
the  book  of  his  life,  which  after  death  is 
opened,  and  according  to  which  he  is 
judged,  227. 

Mercy,  pure,  is  pure  love,  337.  It  is 
consequently  the  Lord,  337.  Immediate 
mercy  is  not  possible,  because  man's  salva¬ 
tion  is  effected  by  means  according  to 
which  the  Lord  leads  him,  221.  From  be¬ 
ing  wicked,  man  cannot  be  made  good  bv 

294 


the  immediate  mercy  of  the  Lord,  279, 
338.  See  Salvation. 

Meritorious. — The  good  in  which  a  man 
is,  if  it  is  done  for  the  sake  of  salvation,  is 
a  meritorious  good,  90. 

Mesentery,  164,  ISO,  296,  336. 

Mesopotamia  was  one  of  those  countries 
in  which  the  ancient  church  existed,  and 
where  the  ancient  Word  was  known,  328. 

Mice,  the,  by  which  the  country  of  the 
Philistines  was  wasted,  1  Sam.  vi.,  signify 
the  devastation  of  the  church  by  the  falsi¬ 
fications  of  truth,  326  ;  and  the  golden 
mice  made  by  the  Philistines  signify  the 
vastation  of  the  church  removed  bv  good, 
326. 

Mind,  the,  (animus),  is  composed  of 
affections,  perceptions,  and  thoughts,  56. 
Disease  of  the  mind  takes  away  rationality, 
and  thereby  the  liberty  of  acting  accord¬ 
ing  to  reason,  141.  See  Mind  (Mens),  Lib¬ 
erty. 

Obs. — The  animus  is  a  sort  of  external 
mind,  formed  by  external  affections 
and  inclinations,  resulting  principally 
from  education,  society,  and  custom. 
See  C.  L.,  So.  246 ;  see  also  Mind 
(Mens'),  Obs. 

Mind  (Mens). — The  mind  of  man  in  all 
the  particulars  of  its  form,  is  similar  to 
that  of  heaven  or  hell,  there  is  no  differ¬ 
ence,  except  that  one  is  great  and  the  other 
small,  299.  The  human  mind  consists  of 
three  degrees,  75.  There  is  in  man  a  nat¬ 
ural,  spiritual,  and  celestial  mind,  147.  So 
long  as  man  is  in  the  concupiscences  of 
evil  and  their  delights,  he  is  in  the  natural 
mind  only,  and  so  long  as  the  spiritual 
mind  is  shut,  147.  The  natural  mind,  man 
has  in  common  with  beasts ;  the  rational 
spiritual  mind  is  the  truly  human  mind, 
321.  The  mind  of  man  which  in  itself  is 
spiritual,  cannot  be  anywhere  but  among 
spirits,  into  whose  society  it  also  comes 
after  death,  307.  Swell  as  is  the  mind, 
such  is  the  body,  consequently  the  entire 
man,  112.  The  human  mind  is  continually 
in  these  three  principles,  end,  cause,  and 
effect ;  if  one  of  these  is  wanting,  the  mind 
j  is  not  in  its  life,  178.  How  the  Lord  gov¬ 
erns  the  interiors  and  exteriors  of  man’s 
mind,  307. 

Obs. — The  Mind  (Mens)  is  composed  of 
two  faculties  which  make  man  truly 
man,  namely,  the  will  and  understand¬ 
ing.  The  mind  composed  of  the  spir¬ 
itual  will  and  understanding  is  the  in¬ 
ternal  man  ;  it  incloses  the  inmost  man 
or  soul  ( anima ),  and  it  is  enveloped 
by  the  natural  mind  or  externed  man, 
composed  of  the  natural  will  and  un¬ 
derstanding;  this  natural  mind,  with 
a  mind  still  more  exterior  or  external 
called  the  animus,  which  is  formed  by 
external  affections  and  inclinations, 
resulting  principally  from  education, 
society,  and  custom,  is  the  exterior 
man.  *  The  whole  organized  into  a  per¬ 
fect  human  form,  is  called  the  spirit 
(spiritus).  The  spirit,  in  our  world, 


INDEX. 


is  inclosed  by  a  terrestrial  body  which 
renders  it  invisible ;  but  set  free  by 
natural  death  from  this  body,  it  enters 
into  the  spiritual  world,  where  the 
spirit  is  perfectly  visible  and  tangible. 
See  Soul. 

Miracles. — No  one  is  reformed  by  mira¬ 
cles,  because  they  force  man  to  believe,  129, 
130.  (See  To  Force.)  Faith  induced  by 
miracles  is  not  faith,  but  persuasion ;  it  is 
only  an  external  without  an  internal,  131. 
The  etfect  of  miracles  upon  the  good  is 
different  from  what  it  is  upon  the  wicked, 
183.  The  good  do  not  desire  miracles,  but 
they  believe  the  miracles  which  are  record¬ 
ed  "in  tiie  Word,  and  if  they  hear  any¬ 
thing  of  it  miracle,  they  attend  no  other¬ 
wise"  to  it  than  as  a  light  argument  which 
confirms  their  faith,  183.  By  miracles  the 
wicked  may  be  driven  and  forced  into 
faith,  133.  "Why  there  were  so  many  mir¬ 
acles  among  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  132. 
Why  there"are  no  miracles  in  the  present 
day,  131,  133. 

Misfortune. — No  one  is  reformed  in  a 
state  of  misfortune,  140. 

Moabites,  in  the  Word,  signify  some 
particular  kind  of  evil,  251. 

Modes,  the,  of  Divine  Providence  are  all 
those  things  by  which  the  means  for  form¬ 
ing  man  and  perfecting  him  are  effected, 
835.  Tfiese  modes  are  infinite  in  number 
and  variety,  336.  These  modes  are  of  a 
very  hidden  nature,  336. 

Moral. — What  is  moral  is  the  receptacle 
of  what  is  spiritual,  322.  He  is  called  a 
moral  man  who  makes  the  laws  of  his 
country  his  morals  and  his  virtues,  and 
lives  conformably  to  them  from  reason, 
322.  See  Civil. 

Moralists. — What  becomes  after  death 
of  those  natural  moralists  who  think  civil 
and  moral  life,  with  the  prudence  belong¬ 
ing  to  it,  effects  all  things,  and  the  Divine 
Providence  nothing,  117. 

Moravians,  259,  321. 

Morning.  —  Why  Lucifer  is  called  the 
son  of  the  morning,  257. 

Mortal. — In  order  that  every  man  may 
live  to  eternity,  that  which  is  mortal  about 
him  is  taken  away.  824.  That  which  is 
mortal  with  man  is  the  material  body, 
which  is  taken  away  by  death,  324. 

Mortification. — The  evils  that  are  shut 
in  and  do  not  appear  are  like  the  diseases 
called  cancer  and  mortification,  251. 

Motion  ceases  when  the  producing  effort 
is  withdrawn,  3. 

Mouth,  by  the,  in  the  spiritual  sense 
is  meant  the  thought,  because  the  thought 
speaks  by  the  mouth,  80.  In  Luke  vi.  45, 
mouth  signifies  the  thought  which  is  of  the 
understanding,  SO. 

Multiplications. — See  Fructifications. 

Muscles. — Operations  of  the  brain  upon 
the  muscles,  ISO. 

Myriads. — There  are  myriads  of  myriads 
of  angels  who  compo>e  the  form  of  heaven, 
and  there  are  myriads  who  enter  it  every 
year,  and  will  do  so  to  eternity,  63. 

295 


Nails,  the,  of  the  grand  man  or  of  hear- 
en,  are  constituted  of  those  to  whom  the 
gospel  has  not  been  able  to  reach,  but  only 
some  religion,  254,  326. 

Nakedness,  the,  of  Adam  and  Eve,  of 
which  they  were  not  ashamed,  signifies  a 
state  of  innocence,  275. 

Name  signifies  quality  of  state,  230.  By 
the  name  of  God,  in  the  Word,  is  signified 
God  with  every  thing  divine  which  is  in 
Him,  and  proceeds  from  Him,  230;  thus 
the  Word  is  the  name  of  God,  and  the 
spiritual  things  of  the  church  are  also  the 
name  of  God,  230.  In  the  spiritual  world 
there  are  not  names  as  in  the  natural 
world,  but  every  one  is  named  according 
to  the  quality  of  his  love  and  wisdom,  230. 

Nations  are  distinguishable  by  similarity 
of  faces,  277.  Most  of  the  nations  which 
are  even  remote  from  the  Christian  world 
consider  the  laws,  such  as  those  of  the 
Decalogue,  not  as  civil,  but  as  divine,  and 
hold  them  sacred,  254.  In  the  earliest 
ages,  nations,  families,  and  houses  dwelt 
separately,  and  Avere  not  formed  into  king¬ 
doms  as  in  the  present  day,  215.  Nations 
or  Gentiles,  see  Gentiles. 

Natural,  the,  communicates  Avith  the 
spiritual,  not  by  continuity,  but  by  corre¬ 
spondence,  41.  The  natural  things  Avhich 
are  proper  to  nature  relate  in  general  to 
time  and  space,  and  in  particular  to  the  ob¬ 
jects  which  are  seen  upon  earth,  220. 

Naturalists. — Those  who  confirm  in 
themselves  appearances,  and  make  them 
truth,  become  naturalists,  believing  noth¬ 
ing  but  what  they  can  at  the  same  time 
perceive  with  one  of  the  bodilv  senses, 
310. 

Nature. — Things  proper  to  nature  are 
especially  spaces  and  times,  both  subject 
to  limit  and  termination,  219.  The  ex¬ 
tremes  and  ultimates  of  nature  cannot  re¬ 
ceive  things  spiritual  and  eternal  as  they 
are  in  themselves,  220. 

Nebuchadnezzar. — What  is  meant  by 
the  image  which  he  saw  in  a  dream,  32S. 

Noah. — The  ancient  church  is  described 
in  the  Holy  Word  by  Noah,  his  three  sons, 
and  their  descendants,  323. 

Nose,  the,  signifies  the  perception  of 
truth,  310.  When  the  nose  is  closed,  it  in¬ 
dicates  no  perception  at  all,  310.  The 
nose  does  not  smell  from  itself,  but  it  is  the 
mind  of  man  Avhich  perceives  the  odors  by 
the  sense,  and  thence  is  affected  according 
to  the  quality  of  the  sense,  314.  Man 
knows  little  of  the  mode  in  which  the  nos¬ 
trils  smell,  336. 

Offspring. — The  evil  of  the  parent  is 
transmitted  to  his  offspring,  281. 

Oil  signifies  the  good  of  charity,  32S. 

Old. — Though  Avomen  may  have  died 
old  and  decrepit,  when  they  go  to  heaven 
they  return  to  the  flower  of  their  youth 
and  beauty,  324. 

Omit. — They  who  omit  to  think  of  evil 
are  continually  in  it,  101.  Who  those  are, 
101. 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


One. — The  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom 
roceed  from  the  Lord  as  a  One,  4.  A  one 
oes  not  exist  without  a  form,  but  the  form 
itself  makes  a  one,  4.  The  form  makes  a 
one  so  much  the  more  perfectly  as  the 
tilings  which  enter  into  it  are  distinct  from 
one  another,  and  nevertheless  united,  4. 
How  things  perfectly  distinct  are  united, 
and  thus  make  a  one,  4. 

Operation,  the,  and  progression  of  the 
end  by  its  means,  is  what  is  called  Divine 
Providence,  331.  There  can  be  no  oper¬ 
ation  but  upon  a  subject,  and  by  means 
operating  upon  that  subject,  831.  The 
continual  operation  of  Divine  Providence 
wjth  every  one.  has  nothing  for  its  end  but 
their  reformation,  and  thereby  salvation, 
257.  Man  does  not  perceive  or  know  any 
thing  of  the  operation  of  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  175.  If  a  man  perceived  and  felt 
the  operation  of  Divine  Providence,  he 
would  not  act  from  liberty  according  to 
reason,  and  nothing  would  appear  to  him 
as  his  owrn,  176.  Every  operation  of  the 
Lord  is  from  primary  and  ultimate  things 
at  once,  consequently  in  full,  220.  The 
operations  of  the  Lord  in  man’s  internals 
are  not  apparent  to  him,  174.  The  opera¬ 
tions  of  the  organic  substances  of  the  body 
are  natural,  and  those  of  the  organic  sub¬ 
stances  of  the  mind  are  spiritual,  but  both 
act  together  as  a  one  by  correspondences, 
279.  Secret  operations  of  the  soul  in  the 
body,  296,  336. 

Opposites  combat  each  other,  until  one 
destroys  the  other,  18.  Two  opposites 
cannot  exist  together  in  one  substance  or 
form,  without  its  being  distracted  and  per¬ 
ishing,  233.  Every  thing  is  known  from  its 
opposite,  88. 

Opposition,  mutual,  of  heaven  and  hell, 
300.  Good  is  known  as  to  its  quality,  by 
relation  to  what,  is  less  good,  and  by  oppo¬ 
sition  to  evil,  24. 

Opulence  is  a  thing  which  is  only  some¬ 
thing  imaginary,  250.  When  and  with 
whom  opulence  is  replaced  by  poverty  in 
the  other  life,  220. 

Order. — God  is  order,  331.  He  is  also 
the  law  of  His  own  order,  for  there  is  no 
order  without  laws,  331. 

Organization,  the,  induced  in  the  world 
remains  to  eternity,  326. 

Organize,  to. — Every  part  of  the  brain 
is  organized,  279. 

Organs. — The  things  which  are  in  the 
natural  world  flow  into  the  organs  of  the 
external  senses  of  the  body,  and  such 
things  as  are  in  the  spiritual  world  flow 
into  the  organic  substances  of  the  internal 
senses  or  of  the  mind,  308.  Therefore,  as 
the  organs  of  the  external  senses  or  of  the 
body  are  receptacles  of  natural  objects,  so 
the  organic  substances  of  the  internal 
senses  or  of  the  mind  are  receptacles  of 
spiritual  objects,  308. 

Origin  of  kingdoms  and  empires,  215. 
Origin  of  the  love  of  possessing  wealth  be¬ 
yond  the  necessaries  of  life,  215. 

Outmost. — There  is  a  perpetual  connec¬ 

296 


tion  of  the  outmost  with  the  inmost,  130. 
As  the  outmost  acts  or  is  acted  upon,  so 
also  the  interiors  from  the  inmost  act  or  are 
acted  upon,  1ST). 

Obs. — By  the  outmost  is  signified  thal 
which  is  the  most  external,  in  opposi¬ 
tion  to  the  inmost,  which  is  the  most 
internal. 

Owls. — Why  owls  see  objects  by  night 
as  clearly  as  other  birds  see  them  by  day, 
167. 

Palace  of  Wisdom. — The  twelve  steps 
to  the  palace  of  wisdom  signify  principles 
of  good  conjoined  to  those  of  truth,  and 
principles  of  truth  conjoined  to  those  of 
good,  36. 

Pancreas. — Its  organization,  180,  279. 
It  purifies  the  blood,  336. 

Parables. — Why  the  Lord  spoke  in  par¬ 
ables,  231. 

Particular. — In  every  form  what  is 
common  and  what  is  particular,  bv  a  won¬ 
derful  conjunction,  act  as  one,  ISO.  That 
which  exists  from  particulars  is  called 
common,  201. 

Paul. — Saying  of  Paul  (Eom.  iii.  28) 
explained,  li 5. 

People. — The  Israelitish  and  Jewish 
people  represented  the  church,  245. 

Perceive. — If  a  man  perceived  and  felt 
the  operation  of  Divine  Providence,  he 
would  not  act  from  liberty  according  to 
reason,  nor  would  anything  appear  to  him 
as  his  own,  176. 

Perception,  every,  of  a  thing  arises  from 
the  relation  or  opposition  of  that  thing  to 
some  other,  24.  The  perceptions  and 
thoughts  are  derivations  from  spiritual 
light,  173.  The  Divine  Good  and  the  Di¬ 
vine  Truth  are  given  to  the  evil  and  to  the 
good ;  if  they  were  not,  no  one  would  have 
perception  and  thought,  173.  Perception 
and  thought  are  of  life,  therefore  from  the 
same  fountain  from  which  is  life,  173.  See 
Life. 

Obs. — Perception  is  a  sensation  derived 
from  the  Lord  alone,  relative  to  the 
good  and  the  true,  A.  C .,  104.  Percep¬ 
tion  consists  in  seeing  that  a  truth  is 
truth,  and  that  a  good  is  good;  also, 
in  seeing  that  an  evil  is  evil,  and  a 
false  is  false,  A.  C.,  7680. 

Perfect,  to  be. — Whdt  is  perfected  to 
eternity  cannot  possibly  be  perfect  in  an 
instant,  338.  Each  degree  of  wisdom  may 
be  perfected  to  its  height,  but  yet  cannot 
enter  into  a  superior  degree,  34. 

Perfections  increase  and  ascend  with 
degrees  and  according  to  them,  279. 

Periphery. — See  Centre. 

Perish,  to. — A  man  would  totally  perish 
if  he  had  not  full  liberty  to  think  and  to 
will,  281. 

Peritoneum. — Its  organization,  180. 

Permission. — The  laws  of  permission  are 
also  the  laws  of  Divine  Providence,  234. 
The  Divine  Providence  with  the  wicked  is 
a  continual  permission  of  evil,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  continually  drawn  out  o. 


INDEX. 


it,  296.  Evil  of  life  is  not  introduced  by 
the  Lord  into  the  will,  and  through  it  into 
the  thought,  but  it  is  introduced  by  man, 
and  this  is  called  Permission,  296.  All  that  a 
wicked  man  wills  and  thinks  is  of  permis¬ 
sion,  296.  Evils  are  permitted  for  an  end, 
which  is  salvation,  249,  275,  and  following. 
The  causes  of  permissions  are  the  laws  of 
Divine  Providence,  249.  Nothing  can  be 
permitted  without  a  cause,  and  the  cause 
exists  only  in  some  law  of  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  which  law  explains  why  the  thing 
is  permitted,  234.  When  it  is  said  that 
God  permits,  it  is  not  meant  that  he  wills, 
but  that  he  cannot  prevent  such  a  thing  on 
account  of  the  end  proposed,  which  is  sal¬ 
vation,  234.  The  Lord  permits  evils  of 
life,  and  many  heresies  pertaining  to  wor¬ 
ship,  lest  man  should  fall  into  the  most 
grievous  kind  of  profanation,  233.  See 
Profanation, 

Pharisees,  the  Modern,  are  those  who 
with  their  mouth  speak  things  pious  and 
holy,  and  also,  in  their  tone  of  voice  and 
gesture,  counterfeit  atfection  of  the  love  of 
such  things,  yet  in  their  hearts  do  not  be¬ 
lieve  and  love  them,  231. 

Philistia. — The  church  not  long  after  its 
establishment  was  converted  into  Babylon, 
and  afterwards  into  Philistia,  264.  By 
Philistia  is  meant  faith  separate  from  char¬ 
ity,  264. 

Philistines,  the,  signify  those  who  sep¬ 
arate  faith  from  charity,  253,  326. 

Places. — The  Lord  foresees  the  places 
of  those  who  are  not  willing  to  be  saved, 
in  hell,  and  the  places  of  those  who  are 
willing  to  be  saved,  in  heaven,  333.  He 
provides  for  the  wicked  their  places  by 
permitting  and  withdrawing,  and  for  the 
good  their  places  by  leading  them,  333.  In 
the  spiritual  world  no  one  can  sit  in 
an  apartment  in  another’s  house,  in  any 
place  but  his  own  ;  if  he  sit  in  any  other 
place,  he  becomes  impotent  of  mind  and 
silent,  338.  Every  one  When  he  enters  a 
room,  knows  his  own  place,  338. 

Pleasantness  is  predicated  of  wisdom 
and  thought,  195.  Each  thought  has  its 
pleasantness,  195.  See  Delight. 

Pleura,  the,  its  organization,  180. 

Pleurisy,  180. 

Power,  the,  of  willing  and  of  understand¬ 
ing  is  not  from  a  man,  but  from  the  Lord, 
who  in  and  of  Himself  is  able  to  will  and 
to  understand,  88. 

Power. — Every  created  substance  is  en¬ 
dued  witli  power,  but  power  does  not  op¬ 
erate  from  itself,  but  from  Him  who  be¬ 
stowed  it,  3. 

Power  of  Hell. — Before  the  Last 
Judgment  the  power  of  hell  prevailed  over 
th  at  of  heaven,  263. 

Prayer,  the  Lord’s. — What  is  meant  by 
the  words  “  Hallowed  be  thy  name,”  230. 

Preachers. — The  Word  is  not  taught  by 
preachers,  but  it  is  taught  by  the  Lord,  by 
means  of  preachers,  172.  A  preacher  who 
is  in  evil  may  teach  things  relating  to  spir¬ 
itual  life;  but  in  the  other  life,  when  he 

297 


comes  into  his  internal  state,  ne  sees  noth¬ 
ing  but  what  is  false,  and  does  nothing  but 
what  is  evil,  29S. 

Precepts. — The  Lord  provides  that  in 
every  religion  there  shall  be  precepts  sim¬ 
ilar  to  those  in  the  Decalogue,  254.  In  the 
Word,  to  have  the  commandments  is  to 
know  them;  and  to  keep  them,  is  to  love 
them,  33. 

Predestination,  as  usually  understood, 
does  not  exist,  322,  324,  330.  Any  other 
predestination  than  predestination  to  heav¬ 
en,  is  contrary  to  the  Divine  love,  which  is 
infinite,  330,;  also  to  the  Divine  wisdom, 
which  is  infinite,  330.  To  suppose  any  oi 
the  human  race  are  predestined  to  be 
damned  is  a  cruel  heresy,  330. 

Predestined.— All  are  predestined  to 
heaven,  and  none  to  hell,  322,  329. 

Predicate. — Whatsoever  exists  derives 
from  its  form  that  which  is  understood  by 
quality  and  also  attribute,  4. 

Presence. — In  the  spiritual  world,  when 
any  one  thinks  of  another  from  the  affec¬ 
tion  of  speaking  with  him,  the  other  be¬ 
comes  present,  and  they  see  each  other  face 
to  face,  29,  50,  326.  The  reason  why,  326. 
There  are  present  with  every  man  spirits 
who  are  in  a  similar  affection  with  him, 
and  they  are  as  really  present  as  any  one 
can  be  with  company  shut  up  in  the 
same  room,  50.  Space  and  time  contribute 
nothing  to  presence  with  regard  to  spirits 
and  angels,  who  are  affections,  and  thoughts 
derived  from  them,  50. 

Present. — Who  those  are  who  think 
from  what  is  present  in  the  world,  and  not 
from  what  is  present  in  heaven,  59.  How 
any  one  in  the  spiritual  world  shows  him¬ 
self  present,  29,  50.  See  Presence. 

Preservation,  the,  of  all  things  depends 
upon  the  conjunction  of  the  Creator  with 
man,  3. 

Prince  of  this  world,  why  the  devil  is  so 
called,  216. 

Principles. — There  are  two  principles  of 
life  in  every  man,  one  natural  and  the  oth¬ 
er  spiritual ;  the  natural  principle  of  life  is 
the  pulsation  of  the  .heart,  and  the  spiritual 
principle  of  life  is  the  will  of  the  mind, 
193. 

Proceed,  to. — Difference  between  to 
proceed  and  to  be  created,  219.  Nothing 
can  proceed  from  any  one  but  that  which 
is  in  him,  219.  Nothing  can  proceed  from 
man  but  what  is  temporary,  and  nothing 
from  the  Lord  but  what  is  eternal,  219. 
Among  the  things  which  proceed  from  the 
Lord,  the  Divine  Providence  is  primary, 
331. 

Proceeding,  the  Divine. — The  Infinite 
and  Eternal  from  Itself,  is  the  Proceeding 
Divine,  or  the  Lord  in  others  created  cut 
of  Himself,  therefore  in  men  and  angels, 
55.  This  Divine  is  the  same  with  the  Di¬ 
vine  Providence,  55. 

Produce,  to. — What  is  produced,  does 
not  proceed,  but  is  created,  219.  See  To 
Proceed. 

Profanation,  by,  is  understood,  in  gen 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


eral,  all  impiety,  229.  There  are  several  1 
kinds  of  profanation  of  what  is  holy,  226, 
229,  and  following;  in  general  seven  kinds, 
231.  The  worst  kind  of  profanation,  229. 
See  To  Profane. 

Profanation,  the,  of  good,  consists  in 
doing  violence  to  divine  goods,  in  order  to 
confirm  evil  loves,  231.  In  the  Word,  adul¬ 
terations  of  good  are  described  by  adulter¬ 
ies,  falsifications  of  truth  by  whoredoms, 
233.  These  adulterations  and  falsifications 
are  effected  bv  reasonings  from  the  natural 
man,  which  is  in  evil,  233. 

Profane,  to,  is  to  mix  things  holy  with 
profane,  228,  258.  To  profane  in  the  worst 
manner  is  to  receive  and  acknowledge 
things  holy,  and  afterwards  to  depart  from 
and  deny  them,  228.  What  is  meant  by 
profaning  the  name  of  God,  230. 

Profane,  the,  are  those  who  profess  to 
believe  in  God,  maintain  the  sanctity  of 
.he  Word,  acknowledge  the  spiritual  things 
of  the  church,  and  yet  with  the  mouth 
only,  229.  These  profane  what  is  holy  in 
and  with  them  ;  but  the  impious,  who  deny 
the  Divine  Being,  and  all  things  divine, 
have  nothing  holy  in  them  to  profane,  229. 
See  Profaners. 

Profaners,  by,  are  meant  all  impious 
persons  who  in  their  hearts  deny  God,  the 
sanctity  of  the  Word,  and  consequently 
the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  which 
are  sanctity  itself,  and  concerning  which 
they  speak  impiously,  229.  Difference  be¬ 
tween  those  profaners  and  those  who  are 
called  profane,  229. 

Progression. — In  every  created  thing 
there  is  a  constant  and  wonderful  progres¬ 
sion  according  to  the  laws  of  its  order,  332. 
In  the  progression  of  every  created  tiling, 
the  First  from  which  it  is  derived  exists 
intimately,  56. 

Prophet. — By  the  name  and  reward  of  a 
prophet,  Matt.  x.  41,  is  meant  the  state  and 
felicity  of  those  who  are  in  divine  truths,  230. 

Proprium,  the,  of  man  is  the  love  of  self, 
and  thence  the  love  of  the  world,  or  the 
loves  of  the  world,  and  thence  the  love  of 
self,  206.  There  is  with  man  a  voluntary 
and  an  intellectual  proprium,  298.  The 
voluntary  proprium  is  in  its  essence  self- 
love,  or  evil,  and  the  intellectual  proprium 
is  pride  proceeding  from  that  love,  or  the 
false  of  evils,  298.  The  proprium  of  man 
as  to  the  affections  which  are  natural,  is 
not  unlike  the  life  of  a  beast,  233.  There 
does  not  exist  in  any  man  one  grain  of  will 
or  of  prudence  that  is  proper  to  himself, 
293.  No  man  lias  any  proprium,  in  the 
sense  in  which  proprium  is  commonly  un¬ 
derstood,  309.  Things  proper  to  nature  are 
especially  spaces  and  times,  both  subject  to 
limit  and  termination,  219 ;  the  things 
which  are  proper  to  a  man,  are  those  of  his 
proper  will  and  proper  understanding,  219. 
filings  proper  to  the  Lord  are  all  infinite 
and  eternal,  consequently  without  limit  and 
w’thout  end  ;  the  things  which  are  thence, 
fts  it  were,  proper  to  a  man,  are  of  the  Lord 
alone  in  him,  219 


Provide,  to. — It  is  provided  by  the  Lord 
that  every  one  is  capable  of  being  saved, 
328.  It  is  also  provided  that  a  new  ehurch 
should  succeed  in  place  of  the  former  vas- 
tated  church,  328. 

Providence,  the  Divine,  is  the  govern¬ 
ment  of  the  Divine  Love  and  Divine  Wis¬ 
dom  of  the  Lord,  1  and  following,  331,  337. 
The  restoration  of  the  marriage  of  good 
and  truth,  and  the  conjunction  thereby  of 
the  created  universe  with  the  Lord  through 
man,  is  of  the  Divine  Providence,  9.  The 
Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord  has  for  its 
end  a  heaven  out  of  the  human  race,  27, 
202.  In  all  that  it  does  it  regards  what  is 
infinite  and  eternal,  46.  It  regards  what  is 
infinite  and  eternal  from  itself  in  finites,  52, 
58.  In  all  its  proceedings  with  a  man,  it 
has  respect  to  his  eternal  state,  59.  The 
laws  of  Divine  Providence,  hitherto  hid  in 
wisdom  among  the  angels,  are  now  reveal¬ 
ed,  70.  It  is  a  law  of  Divine  Providence 
that  man  should  act  from  freedom  accord¬ 
ing  to  reason,  71,  97.  It  is  a  law  of  Divine 
Providence  that  man,  as  from  himself, 
should  remove  evils  as  sins  in  the  external 
man,  100.  It  is  a  law  of  Divine  Providence 
that  man  should  not  be  forced  by  external 
means  to  think  and  will,  and  so  to  believe 
and  love  the  things  which  are  of  religion, 
but  that  a  man  should  lead,  and  sometimes 
force,  himself  to  it,  129.  It  is  a  law  of  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  that  a  man  should  be  led 
and  taught  from  the  Lord  out  of  heaven  by 
the  Word,  and  by  doctrine  and  preaching 
from  the  Word;  and  this,  in  all  appear¬ 
ance,  as  from  himself,  154.  It  is  a  law  ot 
Divine  Providence  that  a  man  should  not 
perceive  and  feel  any  thing  of  the  operation 
of  the  Divine  Providence,  but  yet  should 
know  and  acknowledge  it,  175.  If  a  man 
perceived  and  felt  the  operation  of  Divine 
Providence,  he  would  not  act  from  liberty 
according  to  reason,  nor  would  any  thing 
appear  to  him  as  his  own,  176.  If  a  man 
plainly  saw  the  Divine  Providence,  he 
would  interfere  with  the  order  and  tenor 
of  his  progress,  and  would  prevent  and 
destroy  it,  180.  If  a  man  manifestly  saw 
the  Divine  Providence,  he  would  either 
deny  God,  or  make  himself  a  god,  182. 
The  Divine  Providence  never  acts  in  unity 
with  the  love  of  a  man’s  will,  but  continu¬ 
ally  against  it,  183,  234.  The  Lord  tacitly 
leads  a  man  by  his  Divine  Providence,  as 
an  imperceptible  tide  or  prosperous  cur¬ 
rent  does  a  ship,  186.  It  is  granted  a  man 
to  see  the  Divine  Providence  on  the  back, 
and  not  in  the  face,  also  in  a  spiritual  state, 
and  not  in  a  natural  state,  187.  To  see  the 
Divine  Providence  on  the  back  and  not  in 
the  face,  is  to  see  it  after  and  not  before; 
and  to  see  it  from  a  spiritual  state,  and  not 
from  a  natural  state,  is  to  see  it  from  hea¬ 
ven,  and  not  from  the  world,  187.  The  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  operates  through  means, 
and  means  are  effected  through  man  or 
through  the  world,  187.  The  man  who  is 
made  spiritual  by  the  acknowledgment  o! 
God,  and  wise  by  the  rejection  of  his  pro- 


INDEX. 


prium,  sees  the  Divine  Providence  in  the 
universal  world,  and  in  all  and  every  par¬ 
ticular  thereof.  189.  The  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  from  things  the  most  singular,  is 
universal,  191,  201,  2u2.  It  exists  in  the 
most  minute  particulars  of  nature,  and  in 
the  most  minute  particulars  of  human  pru¬ 
dence,  and  by  governing  these  particulars, 
governs  universally,  201.  The  reason  why 
it  operates  so  secretly  that  scarcely  any  one 
knows  that  it  exists,  211.  In  ultimates  it 
deals  wonderfully  with  human  prudence, 
and  at  the  same  time  conceals  itself,  212. 
It  has  respect  to  things  temporary,  only  so 
far  as  they  accord  with  things  eternal,  214. 
It  is  the  conjunction  of  things  temporary 
and  eternal  in  a  man,  220.  Ail  the  laws  of 
Divine  Providence  have  for  their  end  the 
reformation,  and  thereby  the  salvation,  of 
man,  279.  The  Divine  Providence  is  equal¬ 
ly  with  the  wicked  and  the  good,  285.  The 
Divine  Providence  not  only  with  the  good, 
but  also  with  the  wicked,  is  universal  in 
things  the  most  particular,  but  yet  it  is  not 
in  their  evils,  287.  The  Divine  Providence 
appropriates  neither  good  nor  evil  to  any 
one,  but  self-derived  prudence  appropriates 
both,  808.  The  Lord  cannot  act  against  the 
laws  of  the  Divine  Providence,  because  to  act 
against  them,  would  be  to  act  against  him¬ 
self,  381.  The  subject  of  the  Divine  Prov¬ 
idence  is  man,  the  means  are  Divine  truths, 
whereby  he  has  wisdom,  and  Divine  goods, 
whereby  he  has  love,  331.  The  operation 
of  the  Divine  Providence,  in  saving  a  man, 
begins  at  his  birth,  continues  to  the  end  of 
his  life,  and  afterwards  to  eternity,  332  to 
354.  Its  operation  effects  all  things  out  of 
pure  mercy,  337.  What  is  the  inmost  end 
or  purpose  of  the  Divine  Providence  con¬ 
cerning  heaven,  64  to  68;  concerning  hell, 
6L  Who  and  what  those  are  who  acknowl¬ 
edge  the  Divine  Providence,  203.  A  man’s 
pioprium  has  an  innate  enmity  against  the 
Divine  Providence,  211 ;  arguments  of  those 
who  confirm  themselves  against  it,  236  to 
239  ;  refuted  241  to  274.  bee  Contents. 

Prudence  comes  from  God  and  not  from 
man,  191,  Self-derived  prudence  proceeds 
from  self-love,  and  the  pride  of  self-derived 
intelligence,  321.  Self-derived  prudence  is 
nothing,  and  only  appears  as  if  it  was,  and 
also  ought  so  to  appear,  191.  Human  pru¬ 
dence  is  nothing,  70.  Prom  self-derived 
prudence  a  man  persuades  himself,  and 
confirms  himself  in  the  idea,  that  every 
good  and  truth  is  in  and  from  himself,  and 
in  like  manner  every  evil  and  falsity,  312. 
4\  hence  and  what  self-derived  prudence  is, 
206,  197,  316,  321.  What  self-derived  pru¬ 
dence  is.  and  what  that  prudence  which  is 
not  self-derived,  310,  and  following.  Who 
and  what  kind  of  persons  those  are  who 
acknowledge  self-derived  prudence,  208. 

Prudently. — He  that  thinks  and  acts 
prudently,  as  from  himself,  and  at  the  same 
time  acknowledges  that  he  does  so  from 
the  Lord,  is  a  man  ;  but  not  he  that  con¬ 
firms  in  himself  an  idea  that  all  that  he 
thinks  and  does  is  from  himself,  321. 


Pulsation,  the,  of  the  heart  is  the  nat* 
ural  principle  of  the  life  of  man,  193.  The 
pulsation  of  the  heart,  together  with  the 
respiration  of  the  lungs,  governs  the  whole 
man  as  to  his  body,  193.  The  pulsation  of 
the  heart  corresponds  to  the  will  of  the 
mind,  193.  bee  Principles. 

Punishment. — Every  evil  is  followed  by 
its  punishment,  which  the  impious  man 
suffers  after  death,  249.  No  one  is  reformed 
by  threats  and  punishments,  because  they 
force,  136.  See  To  Force. 

Purification  from  evils  is  effected  in  two 
ways,  one  by  temptations,  the  other  by 
fermentations,  25.  All  purification  from 
evils  is  from  the  Lord,  151.  So  long  as  the 
ultimates  are  kept  closed  by  the  man  him¬ 
self,  there  cannot  be  any  purification  ef¬ 
fected  by  the  Lord,  119.  Washing  among 
the  Jews  represented  purification  from 
evils,  151.  The  Divine  Providence  of  the 
Lord  causes  evil,  and  its  attendant  falsity, 
to  serve  for  the  pmrification  and  the  con¬ 
junction  of  good. 'and  truth  in  others,  21, 
25.  False  opinions  in  regard  to  purifica¬ 
tion,  121.  Means  of  purification,  296. 

Quakers,  259,  321. 

Quality.  —  Whatsoever  exists  derives 
from  its  form  that  which  is  understood  by 
quality,  4.  See  Form. 

Rage.— Whence  it  proceeds,  276. 

Rain,  Matt.  v.  45,  signifies  the  Divine 
truth  of  the  Divine  Wisdom,  178,  292. 

Rational,  the,  faculty  of  those  who  are 
principled  in  appearance,  and  at  the  same 
time  in  the  truth,  is  a  spiritual-rational; 
but  the  rational  faculty  of  those  who  are 
principled  in  appearance,  and  not,  at  the 
same  time,  in  the  truth,  is  a  natural-rational, 
154.  These  latter  are  blind  reasoners,  168. 

Obs. — The  rational  faculty  of  man  par¬ 
takes  of  the  spiritual  and  the  natural, 
or  is  .a  medium  between  the  spiritual 
and  natural.  A.  C,  26S. 

Rationality  is  the  faculty  of  understand- 
ing,  72,  73,  96,  98,  167,  227,  285.  Ration¬ 
ality  is  given  to  man  by  the  Lord  alone,  73. 
Rationality  is  from  spiritual  light,  and  not 
from  natural  light,  167.  It  is  in  the  light 
of  heaven,  which  illuminates,  168.  By  ra¬ 
tionality  a  man  can  be  elevated  into  wis¬ 
dom  almost  angelic,  222.  Those  who  are 
in  hell  have  the  faculty  of  understanding, 
which  is  called  rationality,  167.  bee  Fac¬ 
ulty Liberty ,  and  nationality . 

Reason,  to. — The  Lord  wills  that  a  man 
should  reason  concerning  things  divine,  to 
the  end  that  he  may  see  that  they  are  so 
or  not  so,  219. 

Reasoners. — Sensual  men  who  confirm 
themselves  in  favor  of  nature  against  God, 
are  more  ingenious  reasoners  than  others, 
and  cunning  and  craftiness  they  call  intel¬ 
ligence  and  wisdom,  310. 

Receptacle. — Man  was  created  to  be  a 
receptacle  of  the  divine  love  and  wisdom, 
328.  In  what  manner  civil  and  moral  lii'a 
is  a  receptacle  of  spiritual  life,  822. 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


Reciprocation  conjoins,  92.  What  the  1 
reciprocal  principle  is  in  man,  92. 

Reform,  to. — The  external  man  is  to  be 
reformed  by  the  internal,  and  not  contrari¬ 
wise,  150.  The  external  is  reformed  by 
the  internal  when  the  former  desists  from 
the  evils  which  the  latter  does  not  will, 
because  they  are  infernal ;  and  more  so 
when  he  therefore  shuns  them,  and  lights 
against  them,  151.  Man  is  reformed  and 
regenerated  by  the  two  faculties  called  lib¬ 
erty  and  rationality,  and  without  them  he 
can  neither  be  reformed  nor  regenerated, 
82,  85.  96.  No  one  is  reformed  by  mira¬ 
cles  and  signs,  nor  by  visions  and  conver¬ 
sing  with  the  dead,  nor  by  threats  and 
punishments,  nor  in  states  which  are  not 
of  rationality  and  liberty,  180,  144. 

Reformation. — All  reformation  is  effect¬ 
ed  in  a  plenary  manner,  that  is,  in  prima¬ 
ries  and  in  ultimates  at  the  same  time,  277. 
"Why  ultimates  are  reformed  in  this  world 
conformably  to  primaries,  but  cannot  be  so 
afterwards,  277.  What  the  state  of  refor¬ 
mation  is  with  man,  83.  Degrees  of  refor¬ 
mation,  151.  Principal  means  of  reforma¬ 
tion,  253.  See  Regeneration. 

Regenerate,  to,  a  man,  is  to  unite  in 
him  good  and  truth,  or  love  and  wisdom, 
as  they  are  united  in  the  divine  which  pro¬ 
ceeds  from  the  Lord,  58.  From  being  nat¬ 
ural,  to  become  spiritual,  is  to  be  regener¬ 
ated,  83.  See  To  Reform ,  Acknowledg¬ 
ment. 

Regeneration. — The  conjunction  of  man 
with  the  Lord,  and  of  the  Lord  with  man, 
is  what  is  called  reformation  and  regenera¬ 
tion,  123.  What  is  the  state  of  regenera¬ 
tion  in  man,  83. 

Relation. — How  relation  is  effected,  24. 
Good  is  not  known  as  to  its  quality  but  by 
relation  to  what  is  less  good,  and  by  oppo¬ 
sition  to  evil,  24.  * 

Religion. — The  very  essence  of  the 
Christian  religion  consists  in  shunning 
evils  as  sins,  265.  Heretofore  it  was  not  j 
known  that  the  Christian  religion  con¬ 
sists  in  shunning  evils  as  sins,  265,  27S. 
The  Christian  religion  is  established  only 
in  the  smallest  quarter  of  the  habitable 
globe,  and  there  it  is  divided,  256,  259. 
There  are  two  essentials,  and  at  the  same  I 
time  two  universals  of  religion,  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  God  and  repentance,  840.  All  1 
who  are  born  men,  whatever  may  be  their 
religion,  are  capable  of  being  saved,  pro¬ 
vided  they  acknowledge  a  God  and  live  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  commandments  of  the  Deca¬ 
logue,  253,  254,  322.  The  common  essen¬ 
tials  of  all  religion,  and  by  which  every  one 
may  be  saved,  are,  to  acknowledge  a  God,  j 
and  not  to  do  evil,  because  it  is  against 
God,  326.  The  Lord  provides  that  in  every 
religion  there  shall  be  precepts  similar  to 
tho?.e  in  the  Decalogue,  254.  When  once 
a  religion  is  implanted  in  any  nation,  that 
people  are  led  by  the  Lord  according  to 
the  precepts  and  tenets  of  their  religion, 
£54.  Every  nation  which  lives  according 
to  its  religion,  that  is,  which  refrains  from 

300 


evil,  because  it  is  against  God,  receives 
something  spiritual  into  its  natural  princi¬ 
ple,  322.  Every  religion  in  process  of  time 
decreases  and  is  consummated,  32S. 

Obs. — There  is  a  difference  between  re¬ 
ligion  and  the  church  which  it  is  im¬ 
portant  to  notice.  It  is  true  that  the 
church  of  the  Lord  is  universal,  and  is 
with  all  those  who  acknowledge  a  Di¬ 
vine  Being  and  live  in  charity,  what¬ 
ever  other  dogmas  they  may  have  ;  but 
the  church  is  more  especially  where 
the  Word  is,  and  where  the  Lord  is 
known  by  means  of  the  Word.  In 
those  countries  where  the  Word  does 
not  exist,  or  rather  where  it  has  been 
taken  away  from  the  people,  and  re¬ 
placed  by  human  decisions,  as  in  Ro¬ 
man  Catholicism,  there  is  religion 
alone,  but,  so  to  speak,  there  is  no 
church.  Among  Protestants  there  is  a 
church,  but  this  church  is  at  its  end, 
because  it  has  perverted  the  Word. 

Religions. — Principles  of  various  na¬ 
tions,  253,  and  following.  The  seven  hun¬ 
dred  wives  of  Solomon  signify  the  various 
principles  prevailing  in  the  world,  245. 
The  Mahometan  religion  is  received  by  a 
greater  number  of  kingdoms  than  t  ie 
Christian  religion,  255.  See  Mahometan. 

Obs. — Religious  principle  (Religiosmn)  is 
the  religion  prevailing  among  these 
who  are  out  of  the  church. 

Remission,  the,  of  evil  is  not  its  removal; 
but  the  removal  of  evil  is  its  remission, 
279,  2S0.  There  is  remission  of  sins  when 
a  man  examines  himself,  perceives  his  sins, 
acknowledges  them,  confesses  them  before 
God,  and  desists  from  them,  127.  Repent¬ 
ance  must  precede  remission,  and  without 
repentance  there  is  no  remission,  2S0. 

Remit,  to. — The  Lord  remits  the  sins  of 
all  men,  He  does  not  accuse  and  impute  ; 
yet  He  can  only  take  them  away  according 
to  the  laws  of  His  Divine  Providence,  280. 
Sins,  when  they  are  remitted,  are  not  on 
that  account  removed,  but  when  they  are 
removed  they  are  also  remitted,  280.  See 
&tns . 

Repentance  must  precede  remission  of 
sins,  and  without  repentance  there  is  no 
remission,  280.  Repentance  is  useless  to 
those  who  think  to  be  saved  barely  from 
mercy,  without  regard  to  their  lives,  340. 
Without  repentance  a  man  is  in  evil,  and 
evil  is  hell,  340.  A  man  in  doing  the  work 
of  repentance,  ought  to  look  up  to  the  Lord 
alone  ;  if  he  looks  up  to  God  the  Father 
only,  he  cannot  be  purified,  nor  if  to  the 
Father  for  the  sake  of  the  Son,  nor  if  to  the 
Son  as  a  man  only,  122.  Repentance  from 
sins  is  the  way  to  heaven,  and  faith  sepa¬ 
rate  from  repentance  is  not  faith,  114, 
127. 

Obs. — Repentance  is  to  shun  what  is 
evil  and  false,  and  to  have  it  in  aver¬ 
sion,  A.  6’.,  9448.  To  do  the  work  of 
repentance  is  after  having  confessed 
our  sins  before  God,  and  having  asked 
forgiveness  for  them  with  a  humble 


INDEX. 


heart,  to  rei: Dunce  them  and  lead  a 
new  life  according  to  the  precepts  of 
faith,  A.  6%  8389. 

Representative. — A  wicked  man  as  well 
as  a  good  man  may  be  the  representative 
of  the  internal  principles  of  a  church,  by 
the  external  things  of  worship,  132. 

Reside,  to. — The  Lord  resides  in  liberty 
and  rationality  in  every  man,  in  the  wicked 
as  well  as  in  the  good,  and  by  them  he  joins 
himself  to  every  man,  96. 

Respect,  to  have,  to  God  in  the  life  is 
nothing  else  but  to  think  this  or  that  evil 
a  sin  against  God,  and  therefore  not  to  do 
it,  20  ;  it  is  to  shun,  evils  as  sins,  93. 

Restoration,  the,  of  the  marriage  of 
good  and  truth,  and  the  conjunction  there¬ 
by  of  the  created  universe  with  the  Lord, 
is  of  the  Divine  fii  evidence,  9. 

Resurrection. — All  who  have  any  re¬ 
ligion  have  inthrman  inherent  knowledge 
that  men  live  atter  death,  27L  See  Inhe¬ 
rent. 

Revenge. — Ita  origin,  276. 

Reward,  tbo,  Matt.  x.  41,  signifies  felici¬ 
ty  ;  the  re  war  a  of  a  prophet,  the  felicity  of 
those  who  are  in  divine  truths;  and  the 
reward  of  a  righteous  man,  the  felicity  of 
those  who  are  in  divine  goods,  230. 

Rich. — What  is  the  state  after  death  of 
those  who  in  riches  had  respect  to  them¬ 
selves  alone,  185. 

Riches  are  blessings  and  they  are  curses, 
216,  217.  They  are  blessings  with  those 
who  do  not  place  their  hearts  in  them, 
and  they  are  curses  with  those  who  do 
place  their  hearts  in  them,  217.  Riches 
aie  natural  and  temporary  with  those  who 
have  respect  to  them  alone,  and  to  them- 
selves  in  them  ;  but  they  are  spiritual  and 
eternal  with  those  who  have  respect  to 
good  uses  in  them,  220.  What  is  the  na¬ 
ture  of  the  love  of  dignities  and  riches  for 
their  own  sake,  and  what  the  nature  of 
the  love  of  them  for  the  sake  of  use,  215. 
How  the  love  of  riches  arose,  215.  The 
Lord  never  withholds  a  man  from  acquir¬ 
ing  wealth,  but  from  the  cupidity  of  ac¬ 
quiring  wealth  for  the  sake  of  opulence 
only,  183.  See  Dignities. 

Righteous. — By  the  name  and  reward  of 
a  righteous  man,  Matt.  x.  41,  is  signified 
the  state  of  felicity  of  those  who  are  in  di¬ 
vine  goods,  230. 

Sabbath,  the,  in  the  Tsraelitish  church 
was  the  most  holy  worship  ;  it  signified 
the  union  of  truth  with  good,  and  of  good 
with  truth,  21. 

Sacrifices. — Worship  by  sacrifices  ex¬ 
isted  neither  in  the  most  ancient  church, 
nor  yet  in  the  ancient  church,  but  was  first 
instituted  in  the  Hebrew  church,  which 
had  its  origin  from  Eber,  328. 

Sages,  or  wise  men  of  antiquity;  what 
their  idea  was  in  regard  to  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  324. 

Saintb. — Why  Divine  Providence  has 
permitted  that  among  the  Roman  Catholics 
they  should  hivoke  dead  men,  called  saints, 

857. 


Salvation. — The  Lord  wills  the  salvation 
of  all.  221.  Without  the  Lord  there  is  no 
salvation,  yet  no  man  has  salvation  merely 
by  the  Lord’s  being  known  to  him,  but  by 
living  according  to  His  precepts,  330.  See 
To  Save.  Salvation  is  the  only  end  of  Di¬ 
vine  Providence.  257.  Salvation  cannot  be 
effected  except  by  an  acknowledgment  o. 
the  Lord’s  divinity,  and  confidence  that  it 
is  wrought  by  him,  when  a  man  lives  ac¬ 
cording  to  His  commandments,  257.  Mo- 
mentaneous  salvation  from  immediate 
mercy  is  impossible,  338  to  340.  This  sal¬ 
vation  is  the  fiery  flying  serpent  in  the 
church,  340. 

Satan  and  the  false  of  evil  are  one,  33. 
They  are  called  satans'  who  confirm  in 
themselves  the  concupiscences  of  evil,  310. 
See  Devil ,  and  Hell. 

Obs. — In  the  spiritual  world  those  who 
are  wicked  as  to  the  understanding  in¬ 
habit  the  anterior  part,  and  are  called 
satans;  and  those  who  are  wicked  as 
to  the  will  inhabit  the  posterior  part, 
and  are  called  devils,  O.  </.,  492.  •  In 
the  Word,  bv  devil  is  understood 
that  hell  which  is  behind,  and  where 
are  the  most  wicked,  called  evil  genii : 
and  by  satan,  that  hell  in  which  are 
those  who  are  not  so  wicked,  and  who 
are  denominated  evil  spirits,  II  and 

^  //.,  544. 

Save,  to. — It  is  of  the  Divine  Providence 
that  every  man  is  capable  of  being  saved, 
and  that  those  are  saved  who  acknowledge 
a  God  and  lead  a  good  life,  825.  The  oper¬ 
ation  of  Divine  Providence  in  saving  a 
man  begins  at  his  birth,  and  continues  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  332  to  334.  More  can 
not  be  saved  than  desire  to  be  saved,  333. 
Who  those  are  who  desire  to  be  saved,  and 
who  do  not  desire  to  be  saved,  333.  No 
mortal  could  have  been  saved  except  the 
Lord  had  come  into  the  world,  124.  Every 
one,  in  whatever  heresy  he  may  be  with 
respect  to  his  understanding,  may  still  be 
reformed  and  saved,  259.  To  suppose  that 
those  only  are  saved  who  are  born  within 
the  church,  is  an  insane  heresy,  330. 

Sciences,  the,  can  never  be  exhausted, 

57b 

Security  of  life  arises  either  from  the  be¬ 
lief  of  the  impious,  that  there  is  no  life  after 
death,  or  from  the  belief  of  those  who  sep¬ 
arate  life  from  salvation,  340. 

See,  to,  in  himself,  is  in  his  internal  man ; 
to  understand  by  reasons,  is  in  his  external 
man,  150. 

Seed,  the,  is  the  primitive  form  of  the 
love  in  which  the  father  is — the  form  ot 
his  ruling  love,  with  its  proximate  deriva¬ 
tions,  which  are  the  inmost  affections  of 
that  love,  277.  The  seed,  by  which  impreg¬ 
nation  is  effected,  is  clothed  with  a  body 
from  the  mother,  277. 

Self-Subsisting,  the,  principle  is  omni¬ 
present,  omniscient,  and  omnipotent,  157 
This  self-subsisting  principle  is  the  Lord 
from  eternity,  or  Jehovah,  157. 

Sense,  why  the  spiritual,  of  the  Word; 


301 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


heretofore  un known,  was  not  revealed 
sooner,  264.  The  natural  senses  of  the 
body,  and  the  spiritual  senses  of  the  mind, 

814. 

Obs. — By  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word 
is  understood  both  the  celestial  and 
spiritual,  when  no  distinction  is  made 
between  the  spiritual  sense,  properly 
so  called,  and  the  celestial. 

Sensitive,  all  the,  principles  are  derived 
from  relation  and  from  opposition,  24. 

Serpent,  the,  which  seduced  our  first 
parents  is  the  sensuality  and  proprium  of 
hum,  which  in  itself  is  the  love  of  self,  and 
the  pride  of  self-derived  intelligence,  211, 
318.  The  head  of  the  serpent,  Gen.  iii.  15, 
is  self-love,  211,  241.  The  fiery  flying  ser¬ 
pent,  Isa.  xiv.  29,  signifies  evil  shining 
from  infernal  fire,  340. 

Servitude  is  the  opposite  of  liberty.  43. 
Every  man  wishes  to  remove  slavery  from 
himself,  143.  Man  in  general  does  not 
know  what  spiritual  liberty  and  what  spir¬ 
itual  servitude  are :  he  believes  spiritual 
servitude  to  be  liberty,  and  spiritual  liberty 
to  be  servitude,  149.  To  be  led  by  evil  is 
servitude,  and  to  be  led  by  good,  or  by  the 
Lord,  is  liberty,  43.  Why  man  does  not 
desire  to  come  out  of  spiritual  servitude 
into  spiritual  liberty,  149. 

Sheep. — To  call  his  sheep  by  name,  John 
x.  3,  is  to  teach  and  lead  every  one  who  is 
in  the  good  of  charity,  according  to  the 
6tate  of  his  love  and  wisdom,  230. 

Shepherd,  the,  of  the  sheep,  is  he  who 
approaches  the  Lord,  280. 

Sickness. — When  man  is  in  sickness  and 
thinks  of  death,  and  of  the  state  of  his  soul 
After  death,  he  is  not  then  in  the  world,  but 
is  abstracted  in  spirit,  in  which  state  alone 
no  one  can  be  reformed,  142.  No  one  is 
reformed  in  a  state  of  mental  sickness  or 
disorder;  for  when  the  body  is  sick,  the 
mind  also  is  sick,  141,  142.  What  are  the 
disorders  of  the  mind,  141.  It  is  vain  to 
think  a  person  can  repent  or  receive  any 
faith  under  sickness,  for  there  is  nothing 
of  action  in  such  repentance,  and  nothing 
of  charity  in  such  faith,  142.  If  such  per¬ 
sons  are  not  reformed  before  sickness,  they 
become  after  it,  if  they  die,  such  as  they 
were  before  it,  142. 

Sidon  was  one  of  those  countries  in 
which  the  ancient  church  existed,  and 
where  the  ancient  word  was  known,  828. 

Sight. — Man  has  an  internal  and  exter¬ 
nal  sight,  166.  The  understanding,  which 
is  a  man’s  internal  sight,  is  no  otherwise 
illuminated  by  spiritual  light  than  as  a 
man’s  eye  or  external  sight  is  by  natural 
light,  16*6.  The  eye  of  every  one  is  formed 
for  the  reception  of  the  light  in  which  he 
is,  167. 

Sign,  the,  that  any  one  is  led  by  the 
Lord,  is  that  he  loves  his  neighbor,  208. 

Signs. — No  one  is  reformed  by  miracles 
And  signs,  because  they  force,  129,  130. 
What  is  meant  by  the  sign  set  on  Cain  lest 
he  should  be  slain,  242. 

Semple. — In  proportion  as  a  thing  is 

302 


more  simple  and  more  pure,  it  is  more  full 
and  complete,  6. 

Simultaneous. — In  the  ultimate  princi¬ 
ple  there  is  the  simultaneous,  derived  from 
the  first  of  all  principles,  124. 

Singular. — In  every  form,  what  is  uni¬ 
versal  and  what  is  singular,  by  a  wonderful 
conjunction,  act  as  one,  ISO.  That  is  called 
universal  which  is  formed  from  singulars 
connected  together,  201.  The  Divine 
Providence  exists  in  the  most  minute  par¬ 
ticulars  in  nature,  and  in  the  most  minute 
particulars  in  human  prudence,  and  by 
governing  these  particulars,  governs  uni¬ 
versally,  201.  The  Divine  Providence  of 
the  Lord  is  universal,  because  it  is  in  par¬ 
ticulars,  and  it  is  particular  because  it  is 
universal,  124. 

Sins,  when,  are  removed  they  are  also 
remitted,  but  not  vice  versa,  280."  Sins  are 
not  removed  by  repentance,  180.  Sze  Re¬ 
pentance.  To  confess  ourselves  guilty  of  all 
sins,  and  not  to  seek  them  out  in  ourselves, 
is  to  imagine  we  have  religion  when  yet  we 
have  it  not,  27S,  279. 

Obs. — Sin  is  evil  against  God,  and  also 
consequently  against  our  neighbor,  T. 
C.  R.,  525. 

Skeletons. — Profan ers  appear,  in  the 
spiritual  world,  like  skeletons,  226. 

Skin,  the,  does  not  feel  from  itself,  but 
it  is  in  the  man’s  mind  or  spirit,  which 
there  perceives  such  things  by  the  sense, 
and  thence  is  affected  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  sense,  314.  Man  knows  lit¬ 
tle  of  the  manner  in  which  the  skin  feels, 
336.  The  skin  of  the  grand  man,  or  of 
heaven,  is  constituted  of  those  to  whom 
the  gospel  cannot  reach,  but  only  some  re¬ 
ligion,  254,  826. 

Smell. — Every  delight  corresponds  to 
some  smell  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 
these  may  be  converted  into  it,  804. 

Smell,  to. — 'Whatever  a  man  smells 
comes  by  influx,  308. 

Smoke. — Those  who  are  in  the  love  of 
self  are  encompassed  by  the  smoke,  as  it 
were,  of  a  conflagration,  which  no  spiritual 
truth  in  its  lisrht  can  pervade,  250. 

Society. — The  universal  heaven  is  ar¬ 
ranged  into  societies  according  to  the  affec¬ 
tions  of  good,  opposite  to  the  concupiscen¬ 
ces  of  evil,  278*.  Every  man,  with  respect 
to  his  spirit,  is  in  some  society  in  the  spir¬ 
itual  world,  in  a  celestial  society  if  he  is  in 
the  affection  of  good,  and  in  an  infernal  so¬ 
ciety  if  he  is  in  the  concupiscence  of  evil, 
278*,  296,  307.  He  also  appears  there 
sometimes  when  he  is  in  profound  medita¬ 
tion,  296.  Every  society  in  heaven  is  be¬ 
fore  the  Lord  as  one  man,  64. 

Sociniainsm. — Its  origin,  262.  It  reigns 
in  the  hearts  of  more  people  than  is  imagin¬ 
ed,  262. 

Socinians. — Their  fate  in  another  life, 
231. 

Sole  Subsisting  Principle,  the,  is  omni¬ 
present,  omniscient,  and  omnipotent,  and 
this  sole  subsisting  principle  is  the  Lord 
from  eternity,  or  Jehovah,  157. 


INDEX. 


Solomon  represented  the  Lord  after  Ilis 
coming,  an  t  after  Ilis  glorification,  there¬ 
fore  Solomon  appeared  in  glory  and  mag¬ 
nificence,  245.  Why  he  was  permitted  to 
estab  ,sh  idolatrous  worship,  and  to  have 
so  many  wives  and  concubines,  245. 

Something. — Every  thing  which  perishes 
and  becomes  nothing,  is  inwardly  in  itself 
nothing,  though  outwardly  indeed  it  is 
something,  217.  Good  is  not  any  thing 
unless  united  to  truth,  and  truth  is  not 
any  thing  unless  united  to  good,  11.  That 
which  is  in  good,  and  at  the  same  time  in 
truth,  is  something;  and  that  which  is  in 
evil,  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsity,  is  not 
any  thins-,  12.  Unless  the  infinite  God 
were  all,  a  man  would  not  be  anything,  46. 

Soothsayers,  222,  224,  298. 

Soul,  the,  of  every  one  is  from  his  father, 
and  is  only  clothed  with  a  body  from  his 
mother,  27*7.  The  soul  is  in  the  seed,  277. 
A  man’s  soul  is  nothing  else  than  the  love 
of  liis. will,  and  the  love  of  his  understand¬ 
ing  thence  derived,  199.  If  man  attributes 
all  things  to  himself  and  to  nature,  his  soul 
becomes  the  love  of  self;  but  if  lie  attrib¬ 
utes  all  things  to  the  Lord,  his  soul  be¬ 
comes  the  love  of  the  Lord,  199.  Natural- 
i>ts  can  have  only  a  sensual,  and  not  a  spir¬ 
itual  idea  of  the  state  of  the  soul  after 
death,  310.  Secret  operations  of  the  soul 
in  the  body,  296,  336.  See  Mind ,  obs. 

Sound  corresponds  to  affection,  and  lan¬ 
guage  corresponds  to  thought,  194,  279. 
From  the  sound  or  tone  of  a  man’s  voice  in 
speaking,  is  known  the  affection  of  his 
luve.  and  from  its  variation,  which  is 
speech,  is  known  the  affection  of  his 
tiiought,  194.  How  the  articulations  of 
sound,  which  are  the  words  in  speech  and 
the  modulations  of  the  voice  in  singing,  are 
affected  by  the  lungs,  279.  How  hypo¬ 
crites  are  discovered  in  the  spiritual  world 
by  the  sound  of  their  voice,  224. 

Source,  the  only,  of  life  is  the  Lord, 
292.  The  source  of  all  evils  are  the  loves 
of  self  and  of  the  world,  139,  215. 

Space  and  time  are  proper  to  nature,  51. 
Affection  and  thought  are  not  in  space  and 
tune,  50.  Time  is  only  an  appearance  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  state  of  affection  from 
whence  thought  is  derived ;  it  is  the  same 
with  the  distance  of  space  in  thought,  49. 
Angels  and  spirits  are  not  in  space  and 
time,  but  only  in  the  appearance  thereof, 
50.  Space  does  not  exist  in  the  spiritual 
world,  but  in  that  world  degrees  of  dis¬ 
tance  and  presence  are  appearances  accord¬ 
ing  to  similitudes  and  dissimilitudes  of  af¬ 
fection,  33. 

Speak,  to. — The  simple  and  the  wise 
speak  alike  according  to  appearance,  but 
do  not  think  alike,  162.  In  the  spiritual 
world  no  one  can  speak  otherwise  than  as 
he  thinks,  224.  Whatever  a  man  speaks 
comes  derivatively  or  mediately,  308. 

Speaking  and  Singing.— In  what  wray 
are  produced  the  sound  of  the  voice  in 
speaking  and  singing,  and  also  the  articu¬ 
lations  of  sound,  279.  See  Sound. 

303 


Speech  corresponds  to  thought  and 
sound  to  affection,  279.  All  speech  flows 
from  thought  as  an  effect  from  its  cause, 
308.  How  speech  is  produced,  279.  See 
Sound. 

Spheres. — In  the  spiritual  world  all  are 
connected  there  according  to  the  spheres 
emanating  from  their  affections  through 
their  thoughts,  196.  The  character  and 
quality  of  every  one  is  known  also  from 
the  spheres  of  his  life,  196. 

Spider,  the. — Infernal  love,  wfith  its  af¬ 
fections  of  evil  and  falsity,  compared  to  a 
spider  and  the  web  which  encompasses  it, 
107. 

Spirit,  the,  of  a  man  is  affection,  and 
thought  thence  derived,  61,  196.  In  the 
spiritual  world  spirits  are  connected  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  spheres  emanating  from 
their  affections  through  their  thoughts, 
196.  All  there  think  from  the  affections 
of  their  life’s  love,  196. 

Spiritual  Man,  the,  is  called  alive,  but 
the  natural  man  is  called  dead,  322.  Man 
becomes  spiritual  by  the  acknowledgment 
of  God,  189  ;  and  by  shunning  evils  be¬ 
cause  they  are  in  opposition  to  God,  322. 
The  spiritual  state,  187. 

Spleen,  the. — Its  organization,  180,  279. 
It  purifies  the  blood,  336. 

Squaring  of  the  Circle. — Comparison 
drawn,  from  what  is  said  of  squaring  the 
circle,  between  angelic  and  divine  wisdom, 
335. 

States. — There  is  with  man  an  external 
and  an  internal  state,  298.  Every  man, 
when  he  becomes  a  spirit  after  death,  is 
alternately  led  into  the  states  of  his  life,  the 
external  and  the  internal,  298.  The  spir¬ 
itual  state  of  man  is  totally  different  from 
the  natural  state,  333.  There  are  with  man 
three  states;  the  first  state  is  a  state  of  dam¬ 
nation,  the  second  a  state  of  reformation, 
and  the  third  a  state  of  regeneration,  S3. 

States  in  which  there  is  no  reformation, 
138. 

Statutes,  all  the,  of  the  Israelitish  church 
represented  the  spiritual  things  of  the 
church,  which  are  its  internal’s,  245. 

Stomach. the. — Its  functions, 279,  296,  336. 

Subdue,  to. — He  who  subdues  the  love  of 
dominion  from  the  love  of  self,  subdues 
easily  all  other  evil  loves,  146. 

Subjects. — The  affections  and  thoughts 
exist  in  substantiate  subjects,  279.  These 
subjects  are  the  forms  of  the  organic  sub¬ 
stances  of  the  mind,  319.  What  an  affec¬ 
tion  and  thought  are  in  their  substantiate 
subjects,  279.  Form  makes  the  subject,  4. 

Subsistence  is  perpetual  existence,  3. 

Substance. — There  is  one  only  substance 
from  which  are  all  the  substances  that  are 
created,  157,  6.  This  substance  is  the  spir¬ 
itual  sun,  which  is  provided  by  the  Lord, 
and  in  which  the  Lord  is,  5.  This  sub¬ 
stance  is  in  every  created  thing,  but  with 
infinite  variety,  according  to  different  uses, 
5.  Purely  organic  substances  of  the  mind,: 
their  changes  and  variations  of  state  are 
the  affections  of  the  will ;  and  their  charges 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 


and  variations  of  will  are  thoughts,  which 
are  of  the  understanding,  279,  319. 

Sun.  the. — The  Lord  produced  from  Him¬ 
self  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  by 
that  sun,  all  things  in  the  universe,  5.  This 
sun  is  not  only  the  first,  but  the  one  only 
substance  from  which  all  things  are,  5. 
This  sun,  in  which  is  the  Lord,  and  which 
is  not  in  space,  is  in  all  things,  6.  The 
Lord  appears  as  a  sun  above  the  heavens, 
162.  In  the  Word,  the  sun  signifies  the 
divine  good  of  the  divine  love,  173,  292. 

Supper,  the  Holy,  instituted  by  the  Lord, 
confirms  the  remission  of  sins  to  those  who 
repent,  122.  See  Remission,  Repentance. 

Support  is  perpetual  creation,  3. 

Swedenborg  declares  that  he  lias  con¬ 
versed  with  many  persons  after  death,  as 
well  with  those  in  Europe  as  with  those  in 
Asia  and  Africa,  and  that  they  were  near 
him,  50;  that  lie  has  had  conversations 
with  some  who  lived  many  years  ago,  with 
some  who  lived  before  the  delusre,  and 
some  after  it,  with  some  why  lived  in  the 
Lord’s  time,  with  one  of  His  apostles,  and 
with  many  who  lived  in  the  succeeding 
ages  ;  and  that  they  all  appeared  to  him  as 
men  of  a  middle  age;  and  that  they  said 
they  did  not  know  what  death  is,  but  only 
that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  damnation, 
324.  That  the  Lord  was  revealed  to  him, 
and  afterwards  continually  appeared  before 
his  eyes  as  the  sun  in  which  He  is;  that 
for  several  years,  during  which  he  had  dis¬ 
coursed  with  spirits  and  angels,  no  spirit 
has  dared,  nor  has  any  angel  wished  to  say 
any  thinsrto  him,  much  less  to  instruct  him 
about  any  thing  in  the  AVord,  or  any  doc- 
tnnal  from  the  AATord  ;  but  the  Lord  alone 
has  taught  and  illuminated  him,  135.  That 
when  it  was  granted  him  by  the  Lord  to 
speak  with  spirits  and  angels,  it  was  re¬ 
vealed  to  him  that  man  does  not  think  or 
will  from  himself,  but  from  the  Lord,  if  he 
is  good,  and  if  evil,  from  hell  ;  that  this 
was  demonstrated  to  him  by  his  own  ex¬ 
perience ;  that  he  opened  afterwards  this 
arcanum  to  some  novitiate  spirits,  telling 
them  that  he  thought  more  interiorly,  and 
perceived  what  flowed  into  his  exterior 
thought,  whether  it  were  from  heaven  or 
from  hell ;  that  he  rejected  the  latter  and 
received  the  former,  but  still  it  appeared 
to  himself,  as  to  them,  that  he  thought  and 
willed  from  himself,  290. 

Swedes,  the. — Instruction  which  is  given 
to  them  in  the  prayer  for  the  holy  com¬ 
munion,  114,  25S. 

S word,  to  be  devoured  by  the,  signifies 
to  perish  by  the  falsity  of  evil,  278. 

Syria  was  one  of  those  countries  in  which 
the  ancient  church  existed,  and  where  the 
ancient  Word  was  known,  328. 

Syrians,  the,  in  the  AA'ord,  signify  a  spe¬ 
cies  of  evil,  251. 

Systole. — \\That  it  is,  319. 

Tables  of  the  Law,  there  are  two,  one 
for  the  Lord,  and  the  other  for  man,  95, 
826.  In  proportion  as  a  man,  as  from  him- 

304- 


self,  obeys  the  laws  of  his  own  table,  in  the 
same  proportion  the  Lord  enables  him  to 
obey  the  laws  of  His  table,  95.  The  laws 
of  man’s  table  relate  to  the  love  of  his 
neighbor,  and  those  of  the  Lord’s  table  to 
the  love  of  the  Lord.  95.  See  Decalogue l 

Tacitly. — The  Divine  Providence  acts 
tacitly  in  regard  to  man,  1S3. 

Talent,  the,  given  to  the  servants  to 
traffic  with,  Luke  xix.,  Mark  xxv.,  signifies 
the  prudence  which  we  are  to  use.  210. 

Taste  cannot  exist,  without  its  form, 
which  is  the  tonsrue,  279. 

Taste,  to. — All  that  man  tastes  comes  by 
influx,  308. 

Teach,  to. — The  Lord  alone  teaches  man, 
though  mediately,  through  the  AVord  in  il¬ 
lumination,  135.  To  be  taught  from  the 
AATord  is  to  be  taught  by  the  Lord,  172. 
How  man  is  taught  by  the  Lord,  154-174. 
Every  one  is  taught  according  to  the  un¬ 
derstanding  of  his  love,  and  what  is  over 
and  above  does  not  remain,  172. 

Teeth,  the,  of  the  grand  man,  which  is 
heaven,  are  constituted  of  those  to  whom 
the  gospel  could  not  reach,  but  only  some 
religion,  326,  254. 

Temple,  the,  built  by  Solomon,  signifies 
the  divine  humanity  of  the  Lord,  and  also 
the  church,  245.  The  destruction  of  the 
temple  signifies  the  vastation  of  the  church 
itself,  246. 

Temporary  things  which  are  proper  to 
man  in  the  natural  world  relate,  in  general, 
to  dignities  and  riches,  and  in  particular  to 
the  necessities  of  each  man,  which  are 
food,  clothing,  and  habitation,  214,  215,  220. 
These  a  man  puts  off  by  death,  and  puts 
on  things  spiritual  and  eternal  correspond¬ 
ing  to  them,  220.  Nothing  can  proceed 
from  man  but  what  is  temporary,  and 
nothing  from  the  Lord  but  what  is  eternal, 
219.  Things  temporary  and  eternal  are 
separated  by  man,  but  are  joined  by  the 
Lord,  218. 

Temptations,  spiritual,  are  no  other  than 
combats  against  evils  and  falsities,  25. 
Genuine  temptations,  141. 

Tendons,  the,  of  the  grand  man,  or  ot 
heaven,  are  composed  of  those  whom  the 
gospel  has  not  reached,  but  who  have  only 
some  religion,  326,  254. 

Thefts. — Their  origin,  276. 

Thief  and  Robber,  the,  John  x.  1,  is  he 
who  does  not  approach  the  Lord,  230. 

Think,  to. — No  one  thinks  from  himself, 
but  thought  flows  in,  23S.  Every  ono 
thinks  from  others,  and  these  also  not  from 
themselves,  but  still  from  others,  2S9,  294. 
All  think  from  the  Lord,  the  wicked  as 
well  as  the  good,  308.  He  whose  thoughts 
are  not  elevated  above  the  sensual  is  in¬ 
volved  in  darkness  with  respect  to  the  state 
of  his  life,  274.  AVhat  it  is,  while  thinking 
from  the  present,  to  think,  at  the  same 
time,  from  what  is  eternal,  59.  It  is  a  law 
of  Divine  Providence  that  man  should 
think  as  from  himself,  but  yet  should  ac 
knowledge  that  he  does  so  from  the  Lord, 
321.  No  one  thinks  from  space  and  time. 


INDEX. 


,rien  ho  thinks  of  those  yho  are  in  tne 
spirit. lal  world,  50. 

Think  and  Will,  to. — The  divine  prin¬ 
ciple  consists  essentially  in  thinking  and 
willing  from  itself,  while  the  human  prin¬ 
ciple  consists  essentially  in  thinking  and 
willing  from  God,  298.  To  think  and  to 
will  is  spiritual,  but  to  speak  and  to  act  is 
natural,  71. 

Thistles  signify  evil,  313. 

Thorns  signify  falsity,  313. 

Thought  is  nothing  else  than  the  form  of 
affection,  193.  No  thought  of  man  can  exist 
except  from  some  affection  of  his  life’s  love, 
193.  All  a  man’s  thoughts  are  from  the 
affections  of  his  life’s  love,  and  there  do 
not  and  cannot  exist  any  thoughts  at  all 
without  these  affections,  193.  The  thoughts  j 
which  are  of  the  understanding  are  mere 
changes  and  variations  of  the  state  of  the 
purely  organic  substance  of  the  mind,  279. 
Every  man  has  an  internal  and  an  external 
of  thought,  103,  106-110,  120, 139,  145,  150. 
By  the  external  and  internal  of  thought  is 
understood  the  same  thing  as  by  the  ex¬ 
ternal  and  internal  man,  103.  The  internal 
and  external  of  thought  are  distinct  as 
prior  and  posterior,  or  as  superior  and  in- 
fenor,  145.  Man  knows  nothing  of  the  in¬ 
ternal  oi  nis  thoughts  before  he  comes  into 
the  spiritual  world,  and  its  light,  which  is 
the  ca^-e  after  death,  233.  The  internal  of 
thought  coheres  with  the  external  of 
thought,  in  so  close  a  connection,  that  they 
cannot  be  separated,  233.  Exterior  and  in¬ 
terior  thought  is  given  to  a  man,  and  from 
his  interior  thought  he  can  see  his  exterior 
thought,  and  also  reflect  upon  it  and  judge 
of  it,  whether  it  be  evil  or  not  evil,  104. 
Tnought,  by  virtue  of  exterior  illumination 
from  the  Lord,  sees  a  thing  on  both  sides, 
on  one  side  seeing  the  reasons  which  con¬ 
firm  it,  and  on  tiie  other  the  appearances 
which  invalidate  it;  the  latter  it  dispels, 
and  the  former  ;t  collects,  163.  B j  virtue 
of  thought,  abstracted  from  time  and  space, 
ire  comprehended  the  divine  omnipresence 
and  the  divine  omnipotence,  and  likewise 
he  divine  from  eternity,  51.  Speech  ceases 
:f  it  is  deprived  of  thought,  3.  See  Afftc- 
?on  and  Thougkt,  Perception ,  Illumination. 

Threats. — No  one  is  reformed  by  threats, 
because  they  force,  129,  136.  See  I'o  Force. 

Tin.;  's  only  an  appearance  according  to 

.e  state  of  affection  from  which  thought 
.s  derived,  49.  So?  Space  and  Time. 

Tongue,  the,  130,  279,  336.  The  tongue 
is  the  form  of  taste,  279.  The  tongue 
does  not  taste  from  itself,  but  it  is  the  mind 
or  spirit  which  perceives  the  taste  by  the 
sense,  and  thence  is  affected  according  to 
the  quality  of  the  sense,  314.  Man  knows 
ntlie  in  what  w'av  the  tongue  feels,  336. 
spirits  spe&K  with  a  man  in  his  mother 
tongue,  but  only  a  few  words,  135. 

Torments. — Dreadful  torments  which  evil 
spirits  experience  when  they  approach  hea¬ 
ven,  324,  338. 

Trachea,  or  windpipe,  its  functions,  279, 

180. 


Tree. — Correspondence  of  the  life  of 
man  with  the  growth  of  a  fruit-tree,  382. 
Man  in  the  Word  is  described  by  a  tree, 
332.  W  here  the  tree  falls  there  it  lies,  so 
also  it  is  with  a  man’s  life — as  it  was  at  hia 
death,  such  it  remains,  277.  Celestial  love, 
with  the  affections  of  good  and  truth,  and 
the  perceptions  thence  derived,  may  be 
compared  to  a  beautiful  tree  with  branches, 
leaves,  and  fruits  107.  The  tree  of  life 
signifies  the  Lord  with  respect  to  Ilis  Di¬ 
vine  Providence,  and  the  tree  of  knowl¬ 
edge  man  with  respect  to  his  self-derived 
prudence,  313,  241. 

Trine,  the,  in  one  exists  in  the  Lord  only, 
123. 

Trinity,  the  Divine,  is  in  the  Lord,  26 !<, 
j  263. 

Truth,  by,  is  understood  that  which  un 
versally  comprehends  and  involves  nil 
things  of  wisdom,  11.  All  thh- 
taining  to  wisdom  are  called 
Genuine  truths,  of  which  the  spn*-..?. 
sense  of  the  Word  consists,  were  not  re¬ 
vealed  by  the  Lord  till  after  the  last  judg¬ 
ment  was  accomplished,  and  the  New 
Church,  which  is  meant  by  the  holy  Jeru¬ 
salem,  was  about  to  be  established  by  the 
Lord,  264. 

Tyre  was  one  of  those  countries  in  which 
the  ancient  church  existed,  and  where  the 
ancient  Word  was  known,  323. 

Ultimates,  the,  in  man  are  the  things 
which  are  in  the  external  of  his  thought, 
125.  The  Lord  acts  from  inmost  princi¬ 
ples,  and  from  ultimates  or  lowest  princi¬ 
ples,  at  the  same  time,  124,  220.  Inmost 
and  intermediate  principles  exist  together 
in  ultimates,  124.  The  ultimates  of  life 
which  a  man  carries  with  him  after  death, 
are  quiescent,  and  conspire,  that  is,  act  as 
one,  with  his  interiors,  277.  Ultimates  are 
reformed  in  this  world,  conformably  to 
primaries,  227. 

Understand,  to. — Difference  between  a 
man’s  understanding  a  tiling  by  reasons, 
and  seeing  it  in  himself,  150  To  under¬ 
stand  is  the  companion  of  volition  ;  in  tlio 
same  proportion  as  you  will,  in  the  same 
proportion  you  can  understand,  96. 

Understanding,  the,  is  a  man’s  interna 
sight,  166.  The  understanding,  which  is 
man’s  internal  sight,  is  no  otherwise  illu¬ 
minated  by  spiritual  light,  than  as  a  man’s 
eye.  or  external  sight,  is  by  natural  1  !0 1. 1, 
166.  Tnere  is  an  internal  understanding 
and  an  external  understanding,  111.  Un¬ 
derstanding  is  given  to  man  that  lie  may 
explore  himself,  273.  See  Understanding 
and  Will. 

Understanding  and  WTiLL.--In  every 
man  there  are  two  faculties,  one  of  which 
constitutes  the  understanding  and  the  oth¬ 
er  the  will,  285.  The  faculty  which  consti¬ 
tutes  the  understanding  consists  iq  his  be¬ 
ing  able  to  understand  and  think,  and  that 
winch  constitutes  the  will  consists  in  his  be¬ 
ing  able  freely  to  think  and  thence  also  to 
I  apeak  and  act,  provided  it  be  not  contrary 


305 


THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE, 


Vi  reason,  285.  Man  without  liberty  and 
rationality  would  have  neither  will  nor  un¬ 
derstanding',  and  therefore  would  not  be  a 
naan,  96.  The  understanding  has  been 
Separated  from  the  will  in  order  that  a  man 
may  see  what  his  will  is,  278,  233,  318. 
The  love  of  the  will  infuses  into  the  under¬ 
standing  whatever  it  chooses,  and  not  vice 
versa :  obliterating  indeed  every  thing  in 
the  understar  Jing  which  is  not  from  itself, 
209.  The  understanding  without  the  will 
cannot  do  any  thing,  3.  The  will  of  man’s 
life  is  led,  and  the  understanding  of  his 
life  is  taught,  156. 

Uniox,  the,  of  truth  with  good,  and  of 
good  with  truth  in  man,  is  the  church  and 
heaven,  21.  This  union  is  called  the  mar¬ 
riage  of  good  and  truth,  8.  In  proportion 
as  men  enter  into  the  form  of  the  divine 
love,  which  is  the  form  of  forms,  the  more 
perfect  this  union  which  makes  heaven  be¬ 
comes,  62.  Union  of  charity  and  faith,  of 
the  will  and  understanding,  82. 

Unite,  to. — No  one  can  unite  all  the  af¬ 
fections  of  the  love  of  good  into  the  form  of 
the  divine  love,  but  He  who  is  Love  itself, 
and  at  the  same  time  Wisdom  itself,  and  at 
once  infinite  and  eternal,  63.  It  is  the  per¬ 
petual  object  of  the  Divine  Providence  to 
unite  in  man  good  to  truth  and  truth  to 
good,  21. 

Uni  vekse,  the,  with  all  and  everything 
appertaining  to  it,  was  created  from  the 
Divine  Love  by  the  Divine  Wisdom,  3. 
The  Lord  did  not  create  the  universe  for 
His  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  those 
with  whom  He  will  dwell  in  heaven,  27. 
He  created  the  universe  from  Himself,  and 
not  from  nothing,  46. 

Universal,  what  is,  and  what  is  particu¬ 
lar,  bv  a  wonderful  conjunction,  act  as  one, 
180.  That  is  called  universal  which  is 
formed  of  singulars  connected  together, 
201.  A  universal  without  a  singular  is 
nothing,  273.  The  divine  is  universal,  ex¬ 
isting  in  things  the  most  singular;  it  is  di¬ 
vine  particulars  which  compose  what  is 
called  universal,  294.  The  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence  is  universal,  because  it  is  in  things 
the  most  singular,  201,  202.  See  Singular. 

Universals,  the  two,  of  the  church  are 
the  acknowledgment  of  a  God  and  the 
loading  of  a  good  life,  326,  32S. 

Use  is  good,  and  derives  its  quality  from 
truth,  11.  Uses  are  goods,  which  are  call¬ 
ed  goods  of  charity,  220,  215.  By  uses 
are  meant  not  only  the  necessaries  of 
life  which  relate  to  food,  clothing,  and 
habitation  for  a  man  and  his  family,  but 
also  the  good  of  his  country,  of  society, 
and  of  liis  fellow-citizens,  220.  By  doing 
uses  or  good,  is  meant  serving  others,  and 
ministering  to  them,  215.  To  perform  uses 
for  the  sake  of  fame  or  interest,  is  to  do 
them  for  the  sake  of  self;  to  perform  uses 
for  the  sake  of  uses,  is  to  perforin  them 
from  the  Lord,  215.  He  who  performs 
uses  for  the  sake  of  uses,  is  led  by  the 
Lord,  and  he  who  performs  uses  for  the 
®ake  of  self  and  the  work  is  led  by  the 

306 


devil,  215,  217.  Ail  those  who  ihr.n  evila 
as  sins  perform  uses  from  the  Lord,  while 
all  those  who  do  not  shun  evils  as  sins  per¬ 
form  uses  from  the  devil,  215.  The  king¬ 
dom  of  the  Lord  is  a  kingdom  of  uses,  2S, 
250.  The  Lord  by  his  Divine  Providence 
joins  himself  to  things  natural  by  things 
spiritual,  and  to  things  temporal  by  things 
eternal,  according  to  uses,  220.  The  Lord 
joins  himself  to  uses  by  correspondences, 
and  so  by  appearances  according  to  confir¬ 
mations  by  a  man,  220.  How  the  lust  of 
doing  uses  for  the  sake  of  self-glory  is 
kindled,  250.  Man  ought  to  be  in  the  love 
of  uses,  and  thence  of  himself,  and  not  first 
in  the  love  of  himself  and  thence  of  uses, 
183. 

Variations  of  state  in  the  forms  of  the 
mind,  195,  279,  319.  See  Changes. 

Variety,  there  is  a,  in  all  things;  so  that 
there  does  not  exist,  nor  can  exist  to  eter¬ 
nity,  any  one  thing  the  same  with  another, 
56.  Thus  the  variety  is  infinite  and  eter¬ 
nal,  56,  57.  There  is  a  variety  in  every 
thing,  from  its  greatest  to  its  least,  24.  Va¬ 
riety  cannot  exist  except  in  things  constant, 
stated,  and  certain  ;  examples,  190.  Thera 
is  an  infinite  number  of  varieties  ;  enumer¬ 
ation  of  certain  of  them,  190. 

Vastation,  successive,  of  good,  and  suc¬ 
cessive  desolation  of  truth,  328.  Vastation 
of  good  in  the  church  even  to  its  consum¬ 
mation,  328. 

Veil  between  the  interiors  and  the  exte¬ 
riors,  or  between  the  spiritual  and  natural 
of  the  mind,  311.  To  think  beneath  the 
veil,  310. 

.  Vena  Cava,  296. 

Ventricle,  left,  296.  The  memory  of 
man  compared  to  the  ruminating  ventricle 
or  stomach  of  certain  animals,  233. 

Vessels,  lymphatic  and  lacteal,  296. 

Victory. — Why  it  seems  as  if  victory  de* 
dared  on  the  side  of  prudence,  and  some- 
rimes  not  on  the  side  of  justice,  252,  251. 

Virgins,  the  foolish,  who  had  lamps  but 
no  oil,  and  were  therefore  not  admitted  to 
the  marriage,  represent  those  who  have  ac 
knowledged  truths  with  their  mouths,  but 
not  in  their  hearts,  32S. 

Viscera,  279,  296,  180. 

Visionaries  and  enthusiastic  spirits,  who 
from  the  delirium  they  were  in  called 
themselves  the  Holy  Ghost,  134. 

Visions  are  of  two  kinds,  divine  and  dia 
bolical  ;  divine  visions  are  effecteJ  by  rep 
s  resentatives  in  heaven,  and  diab(  lical  vis 
Ions  are  effected  by  magic  in  jell,  134. 
There  are  also  fantastical  visions,  which  are 
mere  illusions  of  an  abstracted  mind,  134. 
Divine  visions  are  such  as  the  prophets 
had,  who,  when  they  were  in  them,  were 
not  in  the  body,  but  in  the  spirit,  134. 
Such  visions  do  not  exist  at  this  day ;  for 
if  they  did  they  would  not  be  understood, 
because  they  aru  effected  by  representa¬ 
tives,  the  particulars  of  which  siguify  in¬ 
ternal  things  of  the  church  and  arcana  oj 
heaven,  134.  Diabolical  visions  som» 


INDEX. 


arues  nave  existed,  being  induced  by  en¬ 
thusiastic  spirits  and  visionaries,  134.  See 
Visionaries.  No  one  can  be  reformed  by 
visions,  or  by  speaking  with  the  dead,  be¬ 
cause  they  compel,  129,  134. 

Wars. — All  wars,  although  they  are  of  a 
civil  nature,  are  representative  of  states  of 
the  church  in  heaven,  and  are  correspond¬ 
ences,  251.  Such  were  all  the  wars  which 
are  described  in  the  Word,  and  such  also 
are  all  wars  at  the  present  day,  251.  It  is 
not  known  in  this  world  which  kingdoms 
in  Christendom  represent  the  Moabites  and 
Ammonites,  which  the  Assyrians  and  Phil¬ 
istines,  and  which  the  Chaldeans  and  As¬ 
syrians,  and  the  others  with  whom  the 
childre-  of  Israel  carried  on  wars ;  never¬ 
theless  here  are  kingdoms  in  Christendom 
which  represent  those  people,  251.  Why 
wars  are  permitted,  251. 

Wash,  to,  the  head  and  hands,  John  xii. 
8,  9,  and  10,  signifies  to  purify  the  internal 
nan  ;  and  to  wash  the  feet  signifies  to  pu- 
•ify  the  external  man,  151. 

Way. — The  Lord  does  not  enter  man  by 
any  other  than  by  an  internal  way,  131. 
Tnis  internal  way  is  by  the  Word,  and  by 
doctrine  and  preachings  derived  from  the 
Word,  131.  In  the  spiritual  world  there 
are  actually  ways,  which  extend  towards 
every  society  of  heaven  and  towards  every 
society  of  hell,  60.  There  are  ways  there 
for  every  love,  and  no  one  sees  any  other 
ways  than  those  of  his  own  love,  60.  Ev¬ 
ery  one  after  death  goes  in  the  way  of  his 
.ove,  he  who  is  in  good  love  to  heaven, 
\nd  he  who  is  in  evil  love  to  hell,  319. 

Whoredoms  — Their  origin,  276.  In  the 
Word,  whoredoms  signify  the  falsifications 
:>f  truth,  233. 

Obs. — By  whoredom  is  understood  every 
thing  opposed  to  conjugiai  love.  See 
C.  L.,  425. 

Wicked,  the,  continually  lead  themselves 
into  evils,  but  the  Lord  continually  with¬ 
draws  them  from  evils,  295  A  wicked 
man  is  a  hell  in  its  least  form,  2S6.  The 
wicked  who  are  in  the  -world,  the  Lord 
governs  in  hell  as  to  interiors,  but  not  as 
to  exteriors,  307.  The  Divine  Providence 
with  the  wicked  is  a  continual  permission 
of  evil,  to  the  end  that  there  may  be  a  con¬ 
tinual  withdrawal  therefrom,  296. 

Wife  in  the  Word  signifies  the  church, 
245.  Heaven  and  the  church  are  called 
wife,  8.  The  seven  hundred  wives  of  Solo¬ 
mon  signify  various  religious  principles 
prevailing  in  the  world,  245.  See~Mar?-iage. 

Will  and  Love  act  as  one,  96.  There  is 
an  internal  and  external  will,  111.  The 
work  ceases  when  will  is  taken  away  from 
action,  3.  The  will  of  man  is  in  opposition 
to  the  Lord’s  will,  219.  The  will  of  the 
Lord,  96  ;  influx  of  this  will  into  man,  96. 
See  Understanding  and  Will. 

Will,  to,  or  volition,  is  not  given  with¬ 
out  understanding,  understanding  being 
its  consort,  without  which  it  cannot  exist, 
96.  In  a  man  there  exists  an  interior  voli- 
O,  \~r 


tion  or  will,  and  an  exterior  volition  oi 
will ;  and  he  can  act  according  to  the  exte¬ 
rior,  and  at  the  same  time  not  according  to 
the  interior,  89.  To  will  without  knowing, 
perceiving,  and  thinking  what  a  man  wills 
is  nothing,  but  together  with  these  it  be¬ 
comes  something,  11.  See  To  Think,  and 
To  Will. 

Wings  signify  spiritual  truths,  20. 

Wisdom  is  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  36. 
Wisdom  is  nothing  if  it  is  not  conjoined  to 
love,  35.  There  are  in  man  three  degrees 
of  wisdom — the  natural,  spiritual,  and  ce¬ 
lestial  :  they  are  opened  according  to  his 
love,  34.  Wisdom  can  be  elevated  in  a 
triplicate  ratio,  and  in  each  degree  it  can 
be  perfected  in  a  simple  ratio,  to  its  height. 
34.  These  three  degrees  are  not  united  to 
one  another  by  continuity,  but  are  joined 
by  correspondences,  34.  Wisdom  is  with¬ 
out  end  ;  if  there  were  any  end  to  wisdom 
in  a  wise  man,  the  delight  of  his  wisdom, 
which  consists  in  its  perpetual  multiplica¬ 
tion  and  fructification,  would  perish,  835. 
Angelic  wisdom  is  ineffable,  34.  There  is 
no  such  approximation  of  angelic  wisdom 
to  the  divine  wisdom  as  to  reach  it,  335 
See  Love  and  Wisdom. 

Wise. — A  man  becomes  wiser  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  he  is  more  nearly  conjoined  to  the 
Lord,  34.  No  one  is  wise  from  himself, 
but  from  the  Lord,  36.  Those  are  wise 
from  the  Lord  who  cast  out  of  themselves 
evil,  84. 

Withdrawal  from  Evil,  the,  is  effected 
by  the  Lord  by  a  thousand  most  secret 
means,  296. 

Wolves. — Those  who  are  in  self-derived 
prudence  are  like  wolves,  311. 

Womb.  —  Every  man  is  formed  in  the 
womb  in  the  image  of  God,  according  to  the 
likeness  of  God,  by  the  Lord,  330.  See 
Embryo. 

Word,  the. — The  Lord  is  the  Word,  be¬ 
cause  the  Word  is  from  Him  and  concern¬ 
ing  Him,  and  because  it  is  the  divine  good 
of  the  divine  truth,  172.  All  doctrine  of 
the  church  is  to  be  drawn  from  the  Word, 
172.  When  a  man  is  taught  from  the 
Word,  he  is  taught  from  the  Lord  alone, 
172.  All  things  of  the  Word  have  com 
munication  with  heaven,  and  consequently 
with  the  Lord,  172.  The  whole  Word  is 
nothing  else  but  the  doctrine  of  life,  830. 
The  Papists  do  not  read  the  Word,  and 
those  of  the  reformed  church  who  are  in 
faith  separate  from  charity  do  not  attend 
to  those  things  in  it  which  relate  t' 
life,  but  only  to  those  which  relate  to  faith 
830.  Why  heretofore  it  was  not  knowr 
that  in  every  particular  of  the  Word  there 
is  a  spiritual  sense,  and  that  therein  it& 
holiness  consists,  264. 

Works,  128. — By  the  works  of  the  law, 
spoken  of  by  Paul,  Homans  iii.  2S,  are  to 
be  understood  the  rituals  described  by 
Moses  in  his  books,  and  not  the  command¬ 
ments  of  the  Decalogue,  115. 

World. — All  the  things  which  are  done 
in  the  natural  world  correspond  with  spir 


THE  DIVINE  PEOVIDENCE. 


ltual  things  which  are  done  in  the  spiritual 
world,  251.  In  the  spiritual  world  all  are 
spiritual,  even  as  to  their  bodies,  167.  The 
world  of  spirits  is  in  the  midst  between 
heaven  and  hell,  307.  When  a  man  dies 
he  comes  first  into  t'  e  world  of  spirits,  and 
there  into  his  external,  which  is  there  put 
off  ;  and  this  being  done,  he  is  tran-  f erred 
to  the  place  in  which  he  is  inscribed, 
whether  it  be  heaven  or  hell,  307- 

World,  Christian. — Why  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  world  they  worship  God  under  three 
persons  which  is  three  Gods,  and  why 
hitherto  they  have  not  known  that  God  is 
one  in  person  and  in  essence,  in  whom 
there  is  a  trinity,  and  that  that  God  is  the 
Lord,  262.  Why  there  have  been  and  still 
are  in  Christian  world  so  many  heresies, 
259.  See  Heresies. 

Worship. — It  is  dangerous  to  force  men 
to  divine  worship,  136.  Constrained  wor¬ 
ship  shuts  in  evils,  which  then  lie  con¬ 
cealed  like  fire  in  wood,  under  the  ashes 
which  continues  to  kindle  and  spread  till 
it  breaks  out  into  a  flame,  136.  On  the 
contrary,  worship  which  is  not  constrained 
but  spontaneous,  does  not  shut  in  evils 
which,  therefore,  are  like  fires  that  imme- 

308 


diately  burn  out  and  are  dispersed,  136. 
With  those  who  are  in  internal  worship 
alone,  without  external  worship,  the  in¬ 
ternal  is  constrained,  136.  Constrained 
worship  is  corporeal,  inanimate,  obscure, 
and  gloomy,  137.  Unconstrained  worship 
when  it  is  genuine,  is  spiritual,  living,  lucid 
and  joyful,  137.  Worship  before  the  com¬ 
ing  of  the  Lord  was  a  representative  wor¬ 
ship,  255. 

Worship,  to,  other  gods,  154.  Why  there 
are  some  men  who  worship  the  sun  and 
moon,  and  others  who  worship  idols  and 
graven  images,  254. 

Worshipper,  every,  of  self  and  of  nature 
confirms  himself  against  the  Divine  Prov¬ 
idence,  249;  under  what  circumstances, 
249-252.  Worshippers  of  themselves  and 
of  the  world,  worshippers  of  men  and  of 
images,  worshippers  of  the  Lord,  154. 

Yoke.  —  Concerning  those  who  believe 
they  are  not  under  the  yoke  of  the  law,  42, 
101. 

Zeal. — A  man  may  burn  as  it  were  with 
zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  this, 
nevertheless,  from  infernal  fire,  139. 


i 


Date  Due 

* 

5\  #  V  %  C  *'fe,  ff 

m  i  l.  ■  Jh 

« 

M  ' 

' 

f 

I 


I 


1 


